Te Mata Estate Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon

Winemaking

The individual parcels of each variety, from each plot, were de-stemmed before a traditional warm fermentation, followed by extended maceration on skins. The resulting wines were pressed, returned to tank for malolactic fermentation, then run off to a mixture of new and seasoned French oak barrels for 8 months’ maturation before blending. The wines were regularly topped and racked, throughout maturation, blended and traditionally egg-white fined before bottling. The final blend is 45% merlot, 40% cabernet sauvignon and 15% cabernet franc.

Testing Nose.

Soft pale gold, Estate Vineyards Chardonnay shows ripe citrus, clover honey and nectarines with incredible concentration, persistence and length. The purity and balance of its stonefruit palate is the signature of this wine.