Black Barn Vineyards Havelock Hills Hawke's Bay Merlot Cabernet Franc 2024

Description

Blackberry, Oak, Spice

"An excellent bouquet, fruity, smoky, mineral and with some positive reduction presents and enticing opportunity to taste. Purple flowers and nut, blackberry and dark plums, there’s a fine savoury spice quality and judicious measure of oak. Youthful, taut, salivating fresh and dry. Tannins show off some grip and acidity delivers freshness, a saline note and carries the fruit flavours throughout the palate. Well made, opens up nicely. Best from 2027 through 2033+" Cameron Douglas, Master Sommelier, Jul 2025

"It's elegantly fragrant on the nose, showing sweet plum, cherry, dried herb, game, and floral aromas. The palate delivers fine flow and delicate texture, beautifully framed by refreshing acidity and fine-grained tannins, finishing lingering and refined. At its best: now to 2030" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Jul 2025

Ruby hue with purple edge. Cassis and black olive with subtle oak expression. Generous palate with plush tannin structure and soft acidity.

Sourced from dry farmed Havelock Hills vineyards. Vine age of 20 to 28 years. Harvested early April 2024.

De-stemmed to open top fermenters, traditional cap management, including hand plunging and extended maceration of up to 28 days for tannin evolution. Pressed to tank for malolactic fermentation and maturation. Wine was held on light lees prior to final blending. Lightly fined with minimal filtration.

At Black Barn our approach is refined tannin structure in our Merlot-based wines, enhancing the palate’s richness and complexity.