Sileni, Triangle Grand Reserve Merlot 2018

The Triangle Merlot is grown in the Bridge Pa Triangle, sub-region of Hawkes Bay. Warm temperatures, coupled with free draining red metal gravels, provide the ideal conditions for growing Merlot. Crops were thinned down to one bunch per shoot to provide concentrated flavours. Fruit for this reserve wine is de-stemmed and partially crushed into a mixture of open top fermenters and closed top tanks. The open top fermenters were hand plunged to extract colour and tannins from the skins prior to post-fermentation maceration. Primary fermentation took approximately seven days, the wine then stayed on skins for a further three weeks before pressing. The wine then completed malolactic fermentation and matured in French oak barriques (225L) for 18 months before bottling. The final blend consists of 20% new oak and 5% second fill.

Sileni Estates was born from a long-standing interest in wine by Graeme Avery. In late 1997, along with financial director Chris Cowper and winemaker Grant Edmonds, he established Sileni as an export-oriented producer, committed to crafting world-class fine wines.

The winery is named after the Sileni who featured in Greek mythology as the companions of Dionysus, the God of Wine. They celebrated good wine, good food and good company. The vineyards and winery are based near Hasting in, Hawke’s Bay - the oldest wine region in New Zealand, on the east coast of the North Island. The wines are precise and fruit-driven, and as well as Pinot Noir and Syrah the range includes a Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc.