Mission The Gaia Project Hawke's Bay Merlot 2022

Mission The Gaia Project Hawke's Bay Merlot 2022French oak Berry & plum Warm spice Firm tannins This is a harmonious and complex Hawkes Bay single vineyard Merlot. The aromas are bright and fruit driven with characteristic plum and berry. There is a very attractive spicy element from the high tight grain oak from selected French oak forests. The oak is in balance and respects the wines structure and character. The palate is intense and full with firm tannins which will become silky with time. The

• French oak
• Berry & plum
• Warm spice
• Firm tannins

This is a harmonious and complex Hawke’s Bay single vineyard Merlot. The aromas are bright and fruit driven with characteristic plum and berry. There is a very attractive spicy element from the high tight grain oak from selected French oak forests. The oak is in balance and respects the wine’s structure and character. The palate is intense and full with firm tannins which will become silky with time. The wine is balanced and velvety.

This Merlot was selected from a single vineyard on the Ngatarawa Triangle. This vineyard has a generous silty phase over red gravels that produces wines with soft mouth filling tannins. Crop loads and canopy management were carefully managed to ensure good fruit intensity. Fruit thinning was applied to the vines prior to veraison, and the 2022 growing season was warm allowing for the grapes to be picked at optimum ripeness.

The fermentation was managed with minimal pump-overs to avoid over-extracting the tannins. When the fermentation was complete there followed a period of post-fermentation maceration to develop the mouthfeel of the young wines. After running off the skins and pressing, the wine underwent malolactic fermentation in tank before blending and transfer to French oak barrels for maturation. After 12 months the best barrels were selected for assembling the final blend.