Mills Reef Reserve Gimblett Gravels Cabernet Merlot 2017

Description

A rich flavoursome wine, this traditional blend exudes intense blackcurrant and boysenberry flavours, layered with caramel and spicy cedary oak. Ageing in quality oak has conferred a velvety smooth texture, giving this wine immediate appeal, or for judicious cellaring to reward over the medium term.

The grapes for this generous wine were grown in the stony soils in the prestigious Gimblett Gravels Wine Growing District, on low yielding closelyspaced vines. The 2017 growing season experienced a dry summer with some disease pressure early autumn. Despite this, the fruit came off the vine in very good condition, with an average of 20.2 Brix.

The grapes were gently crushed, allowing some whole berries to remain intact, and the must transferred into a mix of open top fermenters and closed stainless steel tanks for an average of three days cold soak. Fermentation proceeded with twice daily rummaging for colour, flavour and fine tannin extraction. The resulting wine was aged for 10 months in quality oak, predominantly French 300L hogsheads (33% being new wood), with one racking. The wine was fined and filtered prior to bottling in July 2017 under screwcap closure.

Reserve wines are from low-yielding vines producing superior grapes showing intense fruit flavours and pure varietal expression. The winemaking philosophy is to achieve “balance” of flavour, structure and texture.