• French oak
• Redcurrant
• Sweet dried basil
• Well-structured

With his inspiring energy and lifelong dedication to pioneering progression in the wine industry, Čuvar is the vision of legendary wine entrepreneur, Sir George Fistonich. Sir George founded Čuvar Winery to help preserve and nurture the essence of New Zealand fine wine.

"A captivating bouquet of dark berries, baking spices, dried herbs and olives. Flavours of roasted plums and kalamata olives, sweet spices of barrel and gently warming alcohol lead to a palate of texture and layers of fruit flavours, spices of wood and firmness of tannins and acidity. With each subsequent sip the wine gains some concentration and builds on the foundation of ripe fruit, judicious use of wood and youthfulness of acidity. A lovely example with best drinking alongside food with best drinking from late 2024 through 2029" Cameron Douglas, Master Sommelier, Jan 2024

"Already highly enjoyable, this single-vineyard red from the Gimblett Gravels is mouthfilling, with fresh plum and red berry flavours showing excellent depth, gently spicy, nutty notes adding complexity, and ripe, supple tannins. It's a top example of the drink-young style" Michael Cooper, Nov 2023

The Merlot sets up the palate’s ripeness and structure while the Cabernet Franc compliments with sweet dried basil notes.

Cornerstone vineyard is planted in the famous Gimblett Gravels appellation. The canopy was kept open to ensure airflow around the bunches which kept them clean and open to sunlight. This meant that the fruit was picked at the exact time we needed to make the wine, rather than be dictated by the weather.

2022 was a complicated vintage that saw our winemakers and viticulturists work closely with each other, drawing on their collective expertise. Watching the weather forecasts continuously throughout the day to ensure picking scheduling was exact, maximising the sun for as long as possible.

The varieties were hand-picked, de-stemmed into vessels and fermented separately. Gentle pump overs at varying times during the fermentation cycle extracted the ripe firm tannins. Natural yeast was used on 30% of the wine with added yeast on the remainder. Once the fermentation had completed the wines were pressed off to French barriques for a 1-month duration where they underwent natural malolactic fermentation.

Fermented in stainless steel and matured in 100% French oak barriques.

Food Pairing: Our Merlot Cabernet Franc is a great match with grilled meats and wood-fired veggies. Pair it with tomato-based pasta and rich mushroom risotto or simply finish an evening with a glass and dark chocolate - a brilliantly indulgent combo!