• French oak
• Black Doris plum
• Cocoa & spice
• Fine grained tannins

"A blend of cabernet sauvignon 53%, merlot 27% and cabernet franc 20%. Dense and powerful with a great texture. Quite a plush wine with dark berries, chocolate/mocha, ferrous, spice and nutty oak. Long and layered with a core of sweet fruit Very impressive" Bob Campbell, Master of Wine, Real Review, Jun 2022

"The colour is intense and dark, opaque with dark purple hues and a purple ruby rim. Aromas of concentration and intensity with blackberries and roasted plums, tobacco and cigar scents with a toasty barrel and baking spices complexity. Full-bodied and complex, intense, fruity, toasty and young. Flavours mirror the bouquet and drive the palate core; oak, firm tannins and medium+acidity layer in foundation textures and added mouthfeel. A delicious wine, a classic wine, lengthy, rich, complex and very new-world Hawkes Bay. Excting. Best drinking from 2025 or older through 2040" Cameron Douglas, Master Sommelier, Sep 2022

"Deep, dense ruby-red, slightly lighter on the rim. The nose is enticing, complex, and gently full, with penetrating aromas of cassis, blackberry and young plum entwined with blackcurrant leaf, tobacco leaf, cedar, violet, vanilla and nutmeg. Full-bodied, elegant aromas of cassis, blackberry and red plum form a tenacious core, unveiling blackcurrant leaf, menthol, violet, cedar, tobacco, vanilla, nutmeg and clove. The wine is complex; multilayers of flavour unfold as it aerates. The fruit is perfume, with an excellent balance of ripeness and concentration. Tightly knitted fine-grained tannin provides structure, vitality and excellent cellaring potential. This is a remarkably vibrant and densely packed Cabernet Merlot blend with complex flavour layers, stylish oak and a structured palate. Match with porterhouse and venison over the next 15+ years" Candice Chow, Raymon Chan Wine Reviews, Sep 2022

A complex aroma of cassis, black currant, and black Doris plum, fresh tobacco, cocoa powder hints of oyster shell, floral violet, cardamom, and clove and an intriguing sous bois and sanguine note. The palate has great structure and layers of complexity of flavour. A silky textured attack with a plush concentrated cassis and blackberry palate, with ripe Black Doris plum cocoa powder and spice flavours on the mid palate, a hint of mineral elegance expressed as oyster shell with a long flavored fine grained tannin finish. This wine will improve with cellaring. Recommended drinking from 2022 till 2042 (and beyond).

A blend of 53% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Merlot & 20% Cabernet Franc.

Sub blocks are selected at our Maraekakaho vineyard to grow low yielding crops. Management for our high tier wines starts with pruning. The vines are manicured from then onwards, with crop thinning to one bunch per cane and a manual leaf-pluck pre veraison. The canopy is kept open to provide for airflow and sun exposure. At optimum ripeness we hand harvest selected rows.

Whole bunches are de-stemmed and the berries are then sorted using our optical grape sorter, then crushed to a closed fermenter. After a period of cold soak we inoculate with preferred yeast. Temperatures are then managed to reach about 30°C. Once the ferment is dry the wine is tasted to evaluate maceration time, and finally basket pressed to barrel. Barrels are stored in temperature controlled rooms. We aim for about 50% new French oak barriques. Elevage in barrel can take up to 24 months or more. Final barrel selection and blending takes place about 8 weeks before bottling. The wine is bottled after filtration.

Food Pairing: This wine is best enjoyed with red meats, hearty roasted game, and rich mushroom dishes., and good company.