Leveret Estate Reserve Hawke's Bay Merlot Cabernet 2020

Description

• Toasted oak
• Dark fruit
• Fresh & vibrant
• Fine tannins

"Attractive and distinctive bouquet with ripe dark red fruit scents of Doris plums and black berry, violets and sweet vanilla spice. Toasty barrel and moments of wood smoke add complexity and breadth. On the palate - quite delicious with flavours of dark berries and plums, cassis, iron, tobacco, crushed rock earthy qualities, medium+ acidity and firm youthful tannins. Well made with plenty of length and potential. Best drinking from late 2022 through 2028" Cameron Douglas, Master Sommelier, Dec 2021

This deeply coloured wine displays brooding dark fruit aromas with subtle toasted oak character. The palate is impressively fresh and vibrant with flavours of forest fruit supported by finely balanced tannin and length. This wine is drinking well now but will reward cellaring for up to eight years.

The grapes for this wine were harvested and transported to our Riverview winery. The fruit was gently crushed into open top fermenters and inoculated for fermentation. Caps management was by pumping over. Following fermentation and a short period of extended maceration, the wine was transferred to barrel for approximately 18 months maturation. The wine was then racked out of barrel and transferred to our Katikati winery for finishing and bottling in November 2021. Fined used egg products, traces may remain.