Villa Maria Reserve Gimblett Gravels Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2019

Description

• French oak
• Black plum
• Coffee bean
• Fine-grained tannins

This densely coloured wine shows lovely aromatics with layers of red and black plum, mingling with cassis, smoky roast coffee bean, dried thyme and complex cedary spice nuances. The palate is soft yet concentrated, with wonderfully fine-grained tannins and integrated oak. While approachable in its youth, this wine will benefit and gain additional complexity from careful cellaring.

2019 will be recorded as one of Hawkes Bay's greatest vintages, featuring one of the warmest growing seasons on record with GDD's well above the districts long term average. Early season rainfall enabled healthy vines to ripen fruit into what would be a long and exceptionally dry finish to the season, with the key harvest period of February to April experiencing ideal conditions, allowing fruit to be harvested at optimum ripeness and condition.

Grown entirely on the soils of the Gimblett Gravels region in Hawkes Bay, our vineyards contributed parcels of exceptional fruit. The free-draining soils of these sites help ensure balanced fruit and canopy growth, contributing ripe flavours and tannin development. Yields are cropped low allowing vines to produce fruit that is richly concentrated in colour, flavour and structure.