Sileni Reserve Hawke's Bay Cabernet Franc Merlot 2019

Description

• French oak
• Dark plum
• Spiced cherry
• Smooth tannins

"Brightly fruited and elegantly complex with dark plum, spiced cherry, clove, olive and toasted nut characters, it’s beautifully ripe and supple on the palate delivering rounded mouthfeel and silken texture. Medium-full and flavoursome with a smooth fruity finish. At its best: now to 2025" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Nov 2021

Red berryfruit with sweet spice aromatics. Rich berry flavours with smooth tannins. Designed for early drinking but capable of cellaring for up to eight years. Recommended serving temperature 18-20°C.

The Sileni Reserve Cabernet Franc Merlot 2018 is blended predominantly from parcels within the Bridge Pa Triangle Winegrowing Region and a smaller portion from the Dartmoore Valley. The Bridge Pa vineyards provide warmer sites, offering great concentration in flavours and palate richness, while Dartmoore is cooler providing an added vibrancy and elevation of fruit aromatics to the final blend.

The fruit was de-stemmed into a mixture of closed and open top fermenters. The open fermenters were hand plunged and the closed tanks rummaged to extract colour and tannin from the skins prior to post-ferment maceration. Inoculated with cultured yeasts to promote fruit aromatics, the wine was also co-inoculated for malolactic fermentation during primary which further enhances its fruit forwardness. The wine was racked to barrel and matured in these oak barriques (225L) for four months, and then blended and bottled early to retain freshness. Final blend has around 15% new French oak component.

In ancient Greece the Sileni were companions of Dionysus, the god of wine, vineyards and theatre. When there was something to be celebrated, the Sileni were always on hand to encourage enjoyment of delicious food, great wine and social interaction. Named in their honour, Sileni Estates produces a range of wines made to be great collaborators, with a talent for enhancing flavours and textures.