Merlot Cabernet 2019

96/100 ★★★★★

Sweetly ripe and splendidly complex with blackcurrant, Black Doris plum, green olive, floral and cedar nuances, it’s gorgeously refined in the mouth displaying fine texture and polished tannins. Classically styled with sophistication, structure and persistence. 

- Sam Kim, Wine Orbit

96/100 ★★★★★

Another benchmark from Kate Radburnd. Made with 60% merlot and 40% cabernet sauvignon delivering a bouquet of baking spices and dark plum, blackberry and sweet tobacco. A layer of leesy savoury complexity adds breadth and depth. Youthful too with a fresh appeal and violet lift. Classic flavours and textures on the palate with a core of ripe soft plum fruits cushioned my oak sweetness and fine tannin structure. The cabernet delivers the muscle and power with a stony mineral core and flavours of dark berries then violet and olive. Very lengthy finish, this wine’s a keeper. Great drinking today and through 2034+.

- Cameron Douglas, MS

96/100 ★★★★★

Intense, seamless red from a stellar vintage. It shows old-vine density with a silken texture and berry, spice, floral, violet and classy French oak. A wine of subtlety, with impressive underlying power demonstrated by a lingering finish. Kate Radburnd claims it will age beautifully. I agree.

- Bob Campbell, The Real Review

Parcels of Merlot and Cabernet were sourced from old vines from three selected sites on the gravels of the old Ngaruroro River, and old vine Merlot from the Bridge Pa region. Bridge Pa Triangle soils feature fine silt loam over red metal gravels, while the gravel sites protected by Roys Hill, feature gravel over fine silt. All these sites are free draining and low in fertility, resulting in struggling vines producing fruit of great concentration. Low yielding vines, open canopy management, managed irrigation and Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand farmed were common to all sites. Bridge Pa Merlot delivers ripe dark plum fruits which compliment the spicier brighter Merlot fruit from the gravels. Cabernet thrives on gravel sites and contributes, structure, acidity and fragrant blackcurrant fruit notes.

Fruit from the selected vineyard sites were hand harvested and chilled overnight before processing the following day. Chilled bunches were hand sorted and de-stemmed, and whole berries were transferred to open fermenters with some foot stomping. Whole bunches were also incorporated in some of the Merlot fermentations. The berries were cold soaked before fermentation, and once fermentation initiated, pumped over twice per day. Cool to moderate fermentation temperatures and pressed when dry. This blend was matured for approximately 20 months in new and seasoned French oak barriques. Blended in December 2020 and bottled in January 2021, the final blend is approximately 60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon.

A ripe expressive Merlot Cabernet blend which reflects the strength of the 2019 vintage. A concentration of lavender, plum and wild herbs are complexed with fine French oak. Abundant gentle tannins complete the structure of this wine, delivering lingering texture and lovely gracefulness.

Elegant and beautifully fruited showing wonderful restraint which will age superbly.

Alcohol: 14% Total acidity: 6.2 g/l