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£35.00Unison New Zealand Selection Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot Wine 2016
Grown, fermented, matured and bottled at Unison Vineyard
62% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot.
Unison Vineyard is a small Family Estate in the heart of the Gimblett Gravels Winegrowing District in Hawkes Bay. Established in 1993, with densely planted vines that are carefully managed for low yield, ripeness and intense flavour. Our red wines are made from 100% Gimblett Gravels fruit grown in our own vineyard
Unison Selection is our Icon wine and from 2009 is always Cabernet Sauvignon dominant with Merlot. It is made from grapes selected from the best parts of the vineyard and crop thinned to a maximum of 12 bunches per vine. It is only made in vintages that are good.
Vintage 2016Vintage 2016 growing season can be summed up as good, but challengingly erratic. We experienced a cool start to the growing season with the growing degree running below average until mid-January. February was a scorcher, and permitted the ripening of all our grapes to move into the “normal window”. March and April had threats of rain, but on the whole, were fine and warm allowing us to pick healthy grapes in good conditions.
Winemaking
Gentle handling and attention to detail are the hallmarks of our winemaking. We handpick our grapes, then de-stem and lightly crush to just break their skins before they go into small, open topped fermenting vats.
The ferments are worked by hand plunging along with drain and returns to maximise gentle tannin extraction, and extended post ferment maceration allows us to achieve a balance between fruit intensity and tannin structure. After basket pressing the individual component varieties of the 2016 Selection went into barrel. The blend was put together in Spring 2017 and continued to matured in French oak barrels.Tasting Note
Bold, fragrant aromatics of sweet blackcurrants, crushed dried herbs layered with vanilla, cedar and cinnamon bark.
Bold and precise on the entry to the palate with sustained flavours of cassis, cocoa and graphite. Well knit, lacy tannins dance on the finish.
Elegant and fine, this wine will continue to develop complexity with careful cellaring. This wine will benefit from decanting while still young.
Review: Michael Cooper 5*
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£30.00Unison New Zealand Symphony Syrah 2016
Grown, fermented, matured and bottled at Unison Vineyard
Vintage 2016
Unison Symphony Syrah is the ultimate Syrah of each vintage. We carefully make this wine from our oldest vines in the vineyard and by using small batch ferments with different yeasts together with multiple French and American Oak producers barrels helps us create complexity. Careful blending of our batches gives us our Symphony as each batch played its part.
Winemaking
Gentle handling and attention to detail are the hallmarks of our winemaking. We handpick our grapes, then de-stem and lightly crush to just break their skins before they go into small, open topped fermenting vats. The ferments are worked by hand plunging along with drain and returns to maximise gentle tannin extraction, and extended post ferment maceration allows us to achieve a balance between fruit intensity and tannin structure. After basket pressing the batches of 2016 Syrah went into a mix of French and American barrels for the next 20 months. 25% of the barrels were new. The wine was bottled on the property in March 2018 and laid down to rest until its release December 2021Tasting Note
Spice and berry fruit abound on the nose with aromas of blueberry and cranberry highlighted with five spice, vanilla and sweet leather.Intense dark berry fruit flavours are wound around a dense core of dark spicy chocolate, with fine, lifted, supple tannins giving depth and structure.
Layered with flavours, Symphony Syrah glides over the palate with a bold and graceful balance between its fruit, acid and tannin.
Enjoy now (or cellar) with game meats, lamb or dark chocolate desserts.