Mills Reef Elspeth Gimblett Gravels Merlot 2016

Description

Blackcurrant, Mocha, Oak

• French oak
• Blackcurrant
• Mocha & plum
• Smooth tannins

This outstanding Merlot, from an exceptional vintage, shows great poise, exuding intense notes of ripened blackcurrant and spicy Black Doris plums, in harmony with silky smooth tannins and a wonderful freshness yielding a persistently long mocha finish. Ready for immediate enjoyment, it will also cellar gracefully to reward longer term enjoyment.

This single-vineyard Merlot is a testament to their estate-grown Mere Road grapes trained on low-yielding vines in the renowned Gimblett Gravels of Hawkes Bay. The fruit was handpicked at optimum ripeness on 2nd April 2016 at 22.7° brix.

The grapes were destemmed, retaining whole berries which were cold soaked for two days in an open-top fermenter. The must was then inoculated with selected yeast and the cap plunged twice daily during ferment. The wine was allowed 17 days alcohol soak post ferment before pressing to barrel for aging in quality 100% French oak (34% new) for 17 months. The wine was left undisturbed for 5 months, with one gentle aerated racking. The final wine was polished with egg white fining, and pad filtered prior to bottling in late November 2017 under Stelvin screwcap.