Petal & Stem Hawke's Bay Merlot 2025

Description

Cherry, Oak, Spice

This bouquet has intense aromas of ripe plum, dark berries and underlying aromatics of warm spice and cassis. The palate is silky and refined, with integrated tannins supporting concentrated dark fruit flavours and a rich, lingering finish.

Journey into the wildflowers, a secret world between the vines, where insects dance from petal to stem, a flourishing ecosystem amongst the rows. It’s all part of the bigger picture to protect our vines and keep pests away naturally. So as you're busy enjoying this wine, remember our little friends between the flowers who help us to do things both differently, and beautifully.

The 2025 Hawke's Bay growing season was defined by a warm, dry spring that promoted even flowering and an early start to harvest, followed by a cooler but largely dry summer. These stable conditions reduced disease pressure and allowed for slow, steady ripening, producing fruit with excellent concentration, balanced structure, and vibrant natural acidity. Yields also returned to more typical levels after the lighter 2024 vintage, with the season widely regarded as a high-quality, "return to form" year for the region.

Low-yield Merlot was de-stemmed into mixed fermenters and warm-fermented with regular pump-overs for balance and elegance. After skin contact to build structure, it was pressed, settled, and racked to stainless steel for malolactic fermentation. Following aging with various oak contact, the wine was blended, stabilized, filtered, and bottled.

Food Match: Enjoy with grilled red meats, slow-cooked lamb, or hearty mushroom dishes, as well as rich, savoury fare like beef short ribs or aged cheeses. It also pairs beautifully with dark chocolate desserts, complementing the wine's dark fruit and lingering finish.