Commissioner's Block Merlot

Commissioner's Block Merlot 75Cl

Winery Tasting Notes

Colour – Deep inky red with a purple hue.

Nose – Fragranced with rich fruit cake, raspberry, plum and a hint of mint.

Palate – Well balanced with a medium-bodied structure, this wine showcases the mulberry and plum flavours that typify Merlot. This flavoursome wine is rounded by velvety tannins.

Food - Rib-eye steak, Italian-style gourmet sausages, osso bucco.

Viticulture - Trained onto two-wire vertical trellises with both wires mechanically pruned back to 2 buds. The canopy is managed through reduced water to restrict its vigour and increase both colour and flavour intensity.

Vinification - After night-harvesting the Cabernet Sauvignon grapes were crushed separately into static fermenters and inoculated with CSM yeast. Controlled fermentation occurred over seven days, commencing at 24°C reducing to 20°C. Gentle Pump-overs occurred three to four times daily to maximise the extraction of colour whilst still retaining a soft juicy palate structure. Pump-overs were reduced to twice daily towards the end of fermentation to minimise seed tannin extraction. To avoid any harsh tannins and bitterness only free run and first pressings were used in this blend. After pressing the wines were settled before racking onto French oak for 3 months.