Main Divide Merlot Cabernet 2019

On release the colour is intense garnet, its nose a bewitching plethora of black fruit and savoury aromas. Dark cherry, blackcurrant and plum are straddled by earthy notes of truffle and leather, along with woodsmoke, mixed spice and a hint of wet gravel. The palate is full bodied yet succulent, the larger Merlot component providing plush, ripe, fine-grained tannins and generous fruit weight. Balancing this is a backdrop of structure and backbone afforded by the Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec, arming the wine with appealing complexity, depth, and a lasting finish.

The vineyard is located within the Waipara Valley of North Canterbury, on free draining, north facing terraces carved out of New Zealand’s Southern Alps by an ice-age glacier. It benefits from being in the lee of the Teviotdale Range, giving maximum protection from the Pacific’s easterly breezes and thus creating a unique mesoclimate. The vines are over 30 years old, with a large proportion planted on their own roots. The soil is free draining and of low fertility, resulting in naturally reduced vine vigour. This produces low yields of optimally ripened, high quality, flavourful grapes, which fully express the qualities of this unique terroir. The vineyard has warm days, but the nights are amongst the coolest in the Waipara Valley, drawing out the ripening period of the grapes, while still retaining good natural acidity.

This wine is made in the same style as the celebrated Claret from Bordeaux, using traditional methods. After being picked in late April, the grapes began fermentation naturally in stainless steel tanks. During this process the juice was regularly pumped over the cap of floating grape skins (rather than plunging), to ensure a perfect tannin balance was extracted from the fruit. The wine was then gently pressed off and put into French oak barriques (10% new). The following summer, when the weather warmed, it underwent a natural malo-lactic (secondary) fermentation. After maturing in oak for 12 months, the various batches were then carefully blended in varying portions to produce the most complex and balanced wine possible. The finished product is predominately Merlot, with the remainder comprised of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, and a small amount of Cabernet Franc.

12 months