• French oak
• Plum & dark berries
• Generous & smooth
• Long lasting finish

"A bright and fresh array of red flowers, berries and plums with a smooth bed of fine and easy tannin that carries long, fresh and juicy on the palate. Easy going, fresh and flavorful style here. Drink now" James Suckling, Oct 2019

Celebrating the 25th vintage of Te Awa wines, the 2018 Single Estate Merlot Cabernet continues the fine pedigree of outstanding red blends produced from this unique vineyard. This wine is a blend of 46% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Petit Verdot, and 6% Cabernet Franc. Jam-packed with plums and sweet dark berries on the nose, the palate is generous and smooth with a long pleasing finish. Approachable on release, this wine will cellar comfortably for 5 to 10 years.

The Te Awa Single Estate Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from a selection of Villa Maria's most premium vineyard blocks. These vines are amongst the oldest on the property. The vineyard is located on free draining Gimblett Gravel soils especially suited to the growing of high quality Bordeaux varietals. Intensive management during the season has resulted in low yielding vines producing high quality parcels of fruit.

The landmark 2018 vintage at Te Awa was another superb one, with the grapes reaching optimal levels of flavour. Once harvested, the grapes were de-stemmed into open-top vats where they were then left to undergo natural fermentation. After around 3 weeks of skin contact, the young wine was pressed out and run to French oak barriques to rest. After 18 months of ageing in barrel, the wine was blended and bottled.