Church Road Reserve Hawke's Bay Merlot Cabernet 2000

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Church Road Reserve

Hawke's Bay Merlot Cabernet 2000

Awards & Reviews

Has a smaller proportion of Merlot (44%) and has Cabernet Franc added to the blend. The aromas and flavours are of plums and berries, but they are balanced by oak and tannin and just a hint of spice. The finish is balanced and lingering. This wine has been carefully crafted to accompany food and should be enjoyed with red meat and gamey flavours.

Peter Shaw - Waikato Times (March 2004)

Impressive Hawke's Bay, Bordeaux-style red with genuine Bordeaux-like structure and interest. Serious, brooding wine which will reward cellaring, yet is enjoyable now. Cassis and plum aromas and flavours, plus hints of mint, coffee and liquorice. The tannins are firm and the texture is fine. Worth the price.

Graeme Barrow, Horowhenua-Kapiti Chronicle (10 Dec 2003)

Yes, three years old and just released. The dense and vibrant colour would please the men from Barossa. Rich red berries and spicy oak on the nose led to a powerful wine with real backbone. The fruit is ripe but not overt and integrates well with clean oak. The flavours build to a finish of fine-grained tannins and soft acidity. Quite Bordeaux in its style and attack and, as such, a wine to ponder on.

Hugh Wood - Hamilton Press (Oct 2003)

This elegant, earthy and full-bodied red wine is from an outstanding Hawke's Bay vintage.

Crafted from grapes harvested from low-yielding vineyards, this wine was made using Bordeaux-based winemaking techniques to emphasise complexity, tannin structure and soft acidity - for a wine that will develop gracefully with time in the bottle.

Winemaker's Notes

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Released: November 2003
Variety: 44% Merlot, 24% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc, 12% Malbec
Region: 100% Hawke's Bay

Description

Colour: Rich and deep with a vibrant red hue.

Aromas: Powerful berry fruit characters, complemented by spicy French oak.

Palate: Shows ripe fruit characters of intense berry fruit, integrated with rich oak and a backbone of fine-grained tannins and balanced acidity.

Recommended Cellaring

This wine will reward careful cellaring for up to 10 years. Over this time, the primary berry fruit characters will diminish and will be replaced by more complex flavours and aromas. Colour evolution will accompany these changes.

Harvest

Vintage 2000 was yet another excellent year for red wines in Hawke's Bay. The growing season was warmer and drier than the 30-year average for the region. This produced very ripe fruit with low acidity and excellent colour, flavour and tannin levels. The grapes were harvested in April 2000.

Brix at harvest: 23°

Winemaking

Winemaker: Tony Prichard

Grapes were pumped over very gently (with aeration) during fermentation. The cap was allowed to reach 30° C during the peak of fermentation to ensure optimal colour and tannin extraction. The wine remained on skins for a further 15 days after fermentation to soften tannins and stabilise colour.

Aged in French barriques (mainly new) for approximately 16 months, with regular rackings to encourage further softening and development of the tannins and colour.

This is yet another outstanding example of a full-on Bordeaux-style red wine, produced under our Church Road Reserve label. It shows the very best of premium Hawke's Bay red grapes produced in a strictly Bordeaux style.

Analysis

Alcohol: 13.5% by volume
pH: 3.65
Total acidity: 5.6 g/L as tartaric

Vintages

1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002*, 2003 , 2004

* currently available vintage(s)

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