Grand Reserve
Hawke's Bay Merlot
Cut Cane Merlot 2021
We took the classic Hawke's Bay Merlot and turned up the dial. Cutting the bunch canes concentrates the fruit, making it rich, dark, and unapologetically full-flavoured. Cassis, mocha, and liquorice - a powerful wine that doesn't hold back.
Enjoy sitting down - 16.5% abv.
The Specs
served straight
Not another marketing blurb.
Just the practical stuff, how it’s made, what it pairs with.
Food Pairing
Built for bold dishes. Slow-braised short ribs, grilled lamb cutlets or venison pie. Just as fitting with smoky barbecue, Korean bulgogi or a slab of blue cheese.
Winemaking
From the Hautapu vineyards in Hawkes Bay’s Bridge Pa Triangle, where warm plains and red gravels bring Merlot to full ripeness. A portion of the vines had their canes cut, concentrating the fruit on the vine - the technique that gives this wine its name. Hand plunged in open fermenters, left on skins for four weeks, then matured sixteen months in oak barriques with 40% new barrels, mostly French with some American, for power and polish.