PARITUA RED MERLOT, CABERNET, CABERNET FRANC, MALBEC 2020

tasting Notes

A complex aroma of black plum and cocoa, black olive, with fine cedary notes and hints of leather, star anise, clove and aromatic spices. The palate is plush and rich, with seamless tannins and concentrated black Doris plum flavours, complex spice notes and a long savoury finish. This wine will improve with cellaring. Recommended drinking from mid 2018 to 2029 (and possibly beyond). Red meats and game birds are the obvious choice to match with this wine. Alcohol 14% (approx. 8.3 standard drinks). 

viticulture

Sub blocks are selected at our Maraekakaho vineyard to grow low yield crops. Management for our high tier wines starts with pruning. The vines are manicured from then onwards, with crop thinning to one bunch per cane and a manual leafpluck during veraison. The canopy is kept open to provide for airflow and sun exposure. At optimum ripeness we hand harvest selected rows. 

winemaking

Whole bunches are destemmed and crushed to a closed fermenter. After a period of cold soak we inoculate with a preferred yeast. Temperatures are then managed to reach about 30°C. Once the ferment is dry the wine is tasted to evaluate maceration time, and finally basket pressed to barrel. Malo-lactic conversion takes place in barrel in temperature controlled rooms. We aim for about 60% new French oak barriques. Trial blending takes place several times over the maturation period, with final blending prior to bottling. The wine is bottled after a light eggwhite fining and gentle filtration.