Toi Toi Lifestyle Hawke's Bay Merlot 2020

Toi Toi Lifestyle Hawke's Bay Merlot 2020French oak Spiced black plum Olive & dark cocoa Supple tannins "Delightfully fruited and brightly expressed, the bouquet shows Black Doris plum, blueberry, olive and roasted hazelnut aromas, followed by a succulent palate offering smooth mouthfeel and supple texture. Friendly and approachable for attractive drinking. At its best: now to 2025" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Jan 2022 "Deep plum in colour, this wine is silky and smooth with layered flavours of

• French oak
• Spiced black plum
• Olive & dark cocoa
• Supple tannins

"Delightfully fruited and brightly expressed, the bouquet shows Black Doris plum, blueberry, olive and roasted hazelnut aromas, followed by a succulent palate offering smooth mouthfeel and supple texture. Friendly and approachable for attractive drinking. At its best: now to 2025" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Jan 2022

"Deep plum in colour, this wine is silky and smooth with layered flavours of black plum and ripe mixed berry and just a hint of olive and spice. Savoury toasted oak combine with dark cocoa and dried herbs to add interest and complexity. A medium-bodied, smooth, and approachable palate follows with sweet fruit, supple tannins and moreish acidity" Tim Adms, Winemaker

The fruit for this wine was grown on warm inland vineyard sites on Ohiti Road and the Bridge Pa area of Hawke’s Bay. Soils on these sites are alluvial, stoney and free draining, perfect for producing high quality fruit. The canopies were trained using vertical shoot positioning with cane and spur pruning. Fruit thinning was undertaken prior to veraison to ensure crop loads were well balanced contributing to intense flavour development and maturity.

The Hawke’s Bay 2020 growing season was a little warmer than average and quite a bit drier, with some fantastic sunshine late in the summer. Disease pressure was non-existent and the fruit was in perfect condition across all varietals. This allowed us to pick the grapes when they were showing good natural acidity, sugar, and flavour ripeness.

The grapes were gently crushed, allowing some whole berries to remain intact, the must was then transferred into open and closed-top fermenters for a 4-day cold soak. Inoculated with specially chosen yeast to enhance varietal character fermentation proceeded with twice-daily aerated pump over of the cap for colour, flavour, and fine tannin extraction. Malolactic fermentation followed pressing to enhance texture. The wine was aged, for 11 months, in a combination of stainless-steel tanks and French oak barriques. Following blending, the wine was lightly fined to enhance its vibrant fruit flavours, complexity, and intensity.