Tohu Hawke's Bay Merlot 2022

Tohu Hawke's Bay Merlot 2022French oak Blackberry Cassis & cocoa Fine tannins Black fruit and dark plum aromas seamlessly blend with subtle spicy notes in this smooth and silky Hawkes Bay Merlot. On the palate flavours of blackberry, cassis and hints of cocoa are balanced with fine tannins leading to a dry and richly textured finish. Hawkes Bay is renowned for the production of full bodied red wines made with classic Bordeaux varietals, including Merlot. The 2021 2022 growing

• French oak
• Blackberry
• Cassis & cocoa
• Fine tannins

Black fruit and dark plum aromas seamlessly blend with subtle spicy notes in this smooth and silky Hawke’s Bay Merlot. On the palate flavours of blackberry, cassis and hints of cocoa are balanced with fine tannins leading to a dry and richly textured finish.

Hawke’s Bay is renowned for the production of full-bodied red wines made with classic Bordeaux varietals, including Merlot. The 2021/2022 growing season proved to be challenging for the vineyard team. Good fruit-set in the spring was followed by periods of rain and humidity in the early summer increasing the risk of disease in the grapes. Large rainfall in February added to the pressure in the vineyard, however meticulous vineyard management throughout the growing period kept the fruit in pristine condition, while the last three weeks before harvest offered excellent ripening conditions and development of concentrated flavours in the grapes.

Hand-harvested fruit was picked into small bins before being transported to the winery - where the grapes were lightly crushed and destemmed into open-top stainless-steel fermenters. After a short cold soak period the must was warmed and inoculated with select yeast cultures. After inoculation the juice underwent a rapid fermentation with temperatures peaking at 30 to 33ᵒC. Post-fermentation the resulting wine underwent a short maceration on skins before being pressed and then undergoing a secondary malolactic fermentation. Once this was complete the wine was allowed to age in French oak for 10 months before being prepared for bottling in February 2023.