Church Road Merlot Cabernet

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Church Road

Hawke's Bay Merlot Cabernet 2005

This full-bodied, complex blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Cabernet Franc is true to the classic Church Road style.  Crafted from ripe Hawke’s Bay grapes using traditional Bordeaux winemaking techniques, this premium wine marries ripe, concentrated fruit with toasty oak and earthy complexities.

 

Winemaker's Notes

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Release date: November 2005
Variety: Merlot 76%, Cabernet Sauvignon 16%, Malbec 8%
Region: 100% Hawke's Bay

Description

A full-bodied and complex Bordeaux-style red.
Colour: Deep, rich red with bright hue.
Aromas: On the nose, rich berry fruit characters are complemented by savoury French oak and complexities of dark chocolate and spice.
Palate:  A complex, dry red wine with good concentration and flesh, balanced by a backbone of supple, ripe tannin. The finish is long and ripe. 

Cellaring

This wine will reward careful cellaring for up to six years. Over this time the primary berry fruit characters will diminish and be replaced by more complex flavours and aromas. Colour evolution will accompany these changes.

Vineyard

Church Road Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon is produced from a range of low-vigour vineyard sites in the Hawke’s Bay region. The predominant sub-regions are the Bridge Pa Triangle, the Gimblett Gravels and the Tuki Tuki River flats. The key to producing high quality red wine lies in the ability to manage crop levels and vine canopies to achieve small, well-exposed berries. This ensures good levels of colour and tannin as well as ripe flavours and gentle acidity.

Harvest

Another excellent red wine vintage. The most important feature of 2005 vintage was the hot, dry lead up to harvest which resulted in fruit with fully ripe flavour and tannin.

Brix at harvest: 22.5-24°

Winemaking

Winemakers: Tony Prichard, Chris Scott

This Church Road Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon was made using traditional Bordeaux varieties and Bordeaux-based winemaking techniques. Grapes were crushed to fermenters and the wine gently circulated over the skins for an extended period to extract colour, tannin and flavour. After draining from skins, the wine was encouraged to undergo malolactic fermentation in French oak barriques.

Analysis

Alcohol: 13.5% by volume
Total acidity: 5.35g/L as tartaric

Vintages

1992-1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001(Cabernet Merlot), 2002, 2003, 2004*(Merlot Cabernet)

* currently available vintage(s)

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