Villa Maria Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot 2018

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.

88% Twyford/Vidal, 12% Omahu

This vintage followed on from one of the warmest summers on record providing superb conditions for ripening. Although harvest commenced early with immediate pressure from rain, later ripening reds were harvested in excellent condition under welcome blue skies. Late ripening Cabernet Sauvignon with its thick skins and naturally loose bunches maintained excellent conditions and the free-draining gravel sites came to the fore with ripe clean fruit available for this wine.

The fruit for this wine was grown entirely on the gravelly soils of the Gimblett Gravels growing region in Hawkes Bay. Our different vineyards contribute small parcels of exceptional fruit, each with their own unique characteristics. The free draining soils of these sites help ensure balanced fruit and canopy growth which is essential for ripe flavours and tannin development. Yields are cropped low allowing vines to produce fruit that is richly concentrated in colour, flavour and structure.

After destemming, crushing and extended time on skins the grapes were fermented in stainless steel using aromatic and textural yeast strains.Š The wine was then transferred to new French Oak barrels (M + toast) for 16 months ageing.

16 months, French oak barrels