Unison Reserve Merlot 2013

Dark ruby red.

Aromas of ripe plums and dark chocolate laced with cedar and cinnamon

Round and full on the attack with complex flavours of sweet dark fruits and liquorice. Intense

and concentrated with a velvety texture balanced by fine lingering tannins that carry the flavour

and give the wine enormous length.

Enjoy with beef and lamb dishes, pasta or just on its own. Also a great partner to spicy food.

Vintage – 2010 The long growing season

The growing season kicked off relatively early in September 2009. The weather in spring was variable

with particularly cold periods in October. The unsettled weather continued through early summer

and it was not until February that Hawke’s Bay finally enjoyed consistently warm dry conditions.

These conditions were excellent for flavour development in our grapes. Picking was late April due to

an exceptionally dry Indian Summer.

Winemaking

Gentle handling and attention to detail are the hallmarks of our winemaking. We hand pick our

grapes, then de-stem and lightly crush to just break their skins before they go into the fermenting

vats. The fermenting wines are carefully controlled to maximise gentle tannin extraction, and

extended post ferment maceration allows us to achieve a balance between fruit intensity and tannin

structure.

The 2010 Reserve Merlot was aged in small oak barrels for 12 months followed by a further year in

large oak Cuvees where the wine continued developing texture and complexity for a further 12

months. This ensures a luscious, well balanced wine ready to be enjoyed now or cellared for further

ageing.

Cellar 5 to 8 years.