Toi Toi Lifestyle Hawke's Bay Merlot 2018

Description

• Spiced plum
• Thyme
• Juicy & succulent
• Smooth finish

"It is gently lifted on the nose showing spiced plum, cherry, thyme and mixed spice aromas, followed by a juicy palate that is nicely rounded and lingering. It is supple and succulent with a lengthy smooth finish" Peter Saunders

A friendly, frost-free Spring the 2018 growing season was a harbinger of good things to come. A warm and relatively dry, early summer lead to a very hot January and February. In early March Hawke’s Bay received one significant rain event (100+mm of rain) that caused much-publicised local flooding in the Esk Valley. The next 3 weeks weather proved to be the largest challenge of the vintage; rainfall was moderate to low, however, the humidity over this period was high. With such a warm, early season, early ripening sites and varieties came under a massive amount of pressure. As is often the case in these early seasons, the key is to be able to hold off from harvesting the later ripening varieties, aiming to get through to early April when both the temperatures and humidity significantly drops. This was the case in 2018, the settled weather from early April resulted in some exceptional red wines, particularly the Cabernet family and Syrah. Every producer will have their own individual take on 2018. It is incredibly strong. In short, lovers of Hawke’s Bay wines can relax in the knowledge that many great wines will be produced from the 2018 vintage.

Food Pairing: Merlot is one of the most versatile wines to pair with food! We recommend this light and spicey wine to be paired with tomato basil penne pasta served with mushrooms and crispy pancetta.