Pask Gimblett Gravels Hawke's Bay Cabernet Merlot 2016

Description

• French oak
• Dark berries
• Vanilla & coconut
• Firm tannins

"Attractive and enticing aromas of dark berries and equally dark spices, cigar box and dark plums, roasted bell-pepper and violets. Moments of iron and pencil led. On the palate - a wine wine with a core of fruit showing blackberry and Doris plums, some black cherry and flavours of earth, tobacco, herbs  de-provence and iron. Weighty and rich in fruit flavours, firm tannins and acidity hold all the elements together. Youthful, but also quite delicious, a wine requiring some cellar time to settle and seal in all the elements. best drinking from 2022 through 2026. Decant for service before then. Lengthy dry finish" Cameron Douglas, Master Sommelier, Feb 2020

Dark ruby red colour. Rich berry fruit aromas matched with vanilla and coconut characters. Typical Cabernet Sauvignon drive and intencity, balanced with plush Merlot providing roundness and structure.

The 2016 growing season saw a number of frost events, all well mitigated. Early shoot thinning resulted in balanced canopies and crop levels. The season had a slow start, followed by a particularly warm summer and autumn period. Humidity needed to be monitored closely. A vintage which required good management, was well rewarded.

Harvested during April. Tank fermented with regular pumping over for colour, flavour and tannin extraction. Oak maturation with regular racking for clarification and freshening.