TOM Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 750ml
Only
$194.99
Commercial description
This iconic, full-bodied red wine is from an exceptional Hawke?s Bay vintage and represents the very best parcels from our Bridge Pa Triangle and Gimblett vineyards. Differential picking was used to target only the lowest vigour areas of each block, delivering dense, powerful wines. The use of traditional winemaking techniques emphasises great depth of aroma and flavour, and develops a classical structure that reigns in the fruit richness and promises great aging potential.
Vineyard/ Sub Region / Soil Type: Redstone Vineyard, Bridge Pa Triangle sub region (67%): Our preferred site for Cabernet Sauvignon, the Redstone Vineyard, is well sheltered by Roy?s Hill and is our earliest ripening site. The soil type is known locally as ?red metals? and is shallow windblown loess, silt and volcanic ash over deep, free draining greywacke river gravels. The iron content in the soil has stained the gravels a rust red colour.Gimblett Vineyard, Gimblett Road area (33%): This vineyard provided the Merlot component of the wine. This free-draining, warm and very gravelly site produces powerful Merlots with good flesh and strong, ripe tannins whilst still retaining excellent freshness and vibrancy.
Winemaking Details
Each vineyard block was intensively managed prior to harvest, including extensive shoot and crop thinning, de-clumping, hand positioning of bunches to ensure no tangling and 100% hand leaf plucking through the fruiting zone. Deficit irrigation was employed throughout the growing season with soil moisture levels carefully monitored to keep the vines in a low vigour state whilst avoiding excessive stress that would negatively impact fruit quality. The Merlot block is differentially picked and hand-sorted to mitigate inconsistencies in the soil, with only the lowest vigour vines taken for Church Road TOM. The Cabernet was selectively harvested and hand sorted, and the fruit was fully destemmed and crushed to an open top French oak cuve (Merlot) and a concrete fermenter (Cabernet Sauvignon). Cold soak was not encouraged and fermentation was initiated immediately. The caps were worked three times a day during fermentation and then once or twice a day until the caps sank. While on skins, the wines were given significant levels of aeration both during and after fermentation. This encourages fine structured tannins, aromatic complexity and better long-term stability in the wines. Total maceration length was 26 days for the Merlot and 30 days for the Cabernet Sauvignon. Wines were tasted daily while on skins to assess the required maceration length and level of aeration before being drained and pressed. The press wine was separated into three fractions and was tasted back into the freerun juice before the wine was filled to barriques for malolactic fermentation. The wine was clarified by periodic racking during its time in oak, a very light egg white fining was employed and the final wine was bottled without filtration.
Oak Regime
The wine was matured in 225L French oak barriques for 22 months of which 92% were new and 8% were second fill.
Aroma and Palate
This is a dense and powerful, yet classically proportioned wine with layers of complexity. A core of rich blackberry, dark plum, cherry and cassis-like fruit is overlaid with beguiling lifted aromatics including rose petal, violet, sandalwood and cedar. In contrast to these brighter elements, subtle notes of cacao, vanilla and dried currant bring a dark luxuriousness to the aroma and flavour profile. Structurally, the wine presents with beautiful fruit weight and richness across the mid palate typical of good Hawke?s Bay Merlot. The taut structure of the Cabernet Sauvignon keeps the plushness of the Merlot in check with firm, powdery tannins and excellent textural presence on the finish. The overall balance between these two elements provides a linear, seamless feel across the palate and a sense of subtle, lithe power without excessive heaviness.
Cellaring Drink from 2019 to 2027. Cellaring progress is monitored annually and reported in the cellaring guide on our website www.churchroad.co.nz.
Alc 14%
Commercial description
This iconic, full-bodied red wine is from an exceptional Hawke?s Bay vintage and represents the very best parcels from our Bridge Pa Triangle and Gimblett vineyards. Differential picking was used to target only the lowest vigour areas of each block, delivering dense, powerful wines. The use of traditional winemaking techniques emphasises great depth of aroma and flavour, and develops a classical structure that reigns in the fruit richness and promises great aging potential.
Vineyard/ Sub Region / Soil Type: Redstone Vineyard, Bridge Pa Triangle sub region (67%): Our preferred site for Cabernet Sauvignon, the Redstone Vineyard, is well sheltered by Roy?s Hill and is our earliest ripening site. The soil type is known locally as ?red metals? and is shallow windblown loess, silt and volcanic ash over deep, free draining greywacke river gravels. The iron content in the soil has stained the gravels a rust red colour.Gimblett Vineyard, Gimblett Road area (33%): This vineyard provided the Merlot component of the wine. This free-draining, warm and very gravelly site produces powerful Merlots with good flesh and strong, ripe tannins whilst still retaining excellent freshness and vibrancy.
Winemaking Details
Each vineyard block was intensively managed prior to harvest, including extensive shoot and crop thinning, de-clumping, hand positioning of bunches to ensure no tangling and 100% hand leaf plucking through the fruiting zone. Deficit irrigation was employed throughout the growing season with soil moisture levels carefully monitored to keep the vines in a low vigour state whilst avoiding excessive stress that would negatively impact fruit quality. The Merlot block is differentially picked and hand-sorted to mitigate inconsistencies in the soil, with only the lowest vigour vines taken for Church Road TOM. The Cabernet was selectively harvested and hand sorted, and the fruit was fully destemmed and crushed to an open top French oak cuve (Merlot) and a concrete fermenter (Cabernet Sauvignon). Cold soak was not encouraged and fermentation was initiated immediately. The caps were worked three times a day during fermentation and then once or twice a day until the caps sank. While on skins, the wines were given significant levels of aeration both during and after fermentation. This encourages fine structured tannins, aromatic complexity and better long-term stability in the wines. Total maceration length was 26 days for the Merlot and 30 days for the Cabernet Sauvignon. Wines were tasted daily while on skins to assess the required maceration length and level of aeration before being drained and pressed. The press wine was separated into three fractions and was tasted back into the freerun juice before the wine was filled to barriques for malolactic fermentation. The wine was clarified by periodic racking during its time in oak, a very light egg white fining was employed and the final wine was bottled without filtration.
Oak Regime
The wine was matured in 225L French oak barriques for 22 months of which 92% were new and 8% were second fill.
Aroma and Palate
This is a dense and powerful, yet classically proportioned wine with layers of complexity. A core of rich blackberry, dark plum, cherry and cassis-like fruit is overlaid with beguiling lifted aromatics including rose petal, violet, sandalwood and cedar. In contrast to these brighter elements, subtle notes of cacao, vanilla and dried currant bring a dark luxuriousness to the aroma and flavour profile. Structurally, the wine presents with beautiful fruit weight and richness across the mid palate typical of good Hawke?s Bay Merlot. The taut structure of the Cabernet Sauvignon keeps the plushness of the Merlot in check with firm, powdery tannins and excellent textural presence on the finish. The overall balance between these two elements provides a linear, seamless feel across the palate and a sense of subtle, lithe power without excessive heaviness.
Cellaring Drink from 2019 to 2027. Cellaring progress is monitored annually and reported in the cellaring guide on our website www.churchroad.co.nz.
Alc 14%
