Tohu Hawke’s Bay Merlot 2024

Description

Blackberry, Oak, Spice

"It's beautifully fruited and elegantly expressed on the nose, showing dark plum, sweet cherry, olive, fennel, and toasted almond characters. The palate displays succulent fruit intensity, a silky texture, and polished tannins, making it well-balanced and supple. At its best: now to 2029" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Mar 2026

Black fruit and dark plum aromas seamlessly blend with subtle spicy notes in this smooth and silky Hawke’s Bay Merlot. On the palate flavours of blackberry, cassis and hints of cocoa are balanced with fine tannins leading to a dry and richly textured finish.

Hawke’s Bay is renowned for the production of full-bodied red wines made with classic Bordeaux varietals, including Merlot. The 2023/2024 growing season in Hawke’s Bay began with cool and changeable conditions in the spring, affecting flowering and resulting in lower yields. December and January brought ideal growing conditions, while a drop in temperature over February and March allowed for extended flavour development in the bunches. The dry, late summer and early autumn extended into the harvest period, allowing fruit to be picked at had optimal ripeness with outstanding balance of intensity, elegance, and complexity.

Hand-harvested fruit was picked into small bins before being transported to the winery - where the grapes were lightly crushed and destemmed into open-top stainless-steel fermenters. After a short cold soak period the must was warmed and inoculated with select yeast cultures. After inoculation the juice underwent a rapid fermentation with temperatures peaking at 30 to 33degrees. Post-fermentation the resulting wine underwent a short maceration on skins before being pressed and then undergoing a secondary malolactic fermentation. Once this was complete the wine was allowed to age in French oak for eight months before being prepared for bottling in late March 2025.