1998 Unison Vineyard Unison Dry Red

New Zealand has been described by commentators as being the Loire Valley of the Southern Hemisphere, and the high praise is almost entirely due to the outstanding Sauvignon Blanc that has been consistently produced. Cabernet Sauvignon has been the 'black sheep' of the New Zealand wine industry which in part is due to the cool climate and the trend to overcrop.The Unison turns the vegetative New Zealand reds on the their ears, and produces a perfectly ripe voluptuous mouthfilling Merlot.The wine is made by husband and wife team Bruce and Anna-Barbara Hellinell. The pair have been making wines globally for the last 15 years, and worked in 6 different countries prior to settling down in New Zealand.A small 10 hectare vineyard was established in 1993 on rocky soils with low natural fertility. The vineyard was planted out at 5000 vines per hectare, about three times the traditional Australian vine density, and each vine was pruned to yield approx. 1 kilo of grapes. To put this into perspective this is just a little lower than would normally be expected from a Bordeaux 1st Growth. The upside of these low yields is that the grapes come in very ripe, so that there is none of that vegetal character that has been the hallmark of New Zealand reds in the past.The first wine was released in 1996, and literally took the wine world by storm, receiving rave reviews and export orders from Britain, Switzerland, Germany, Denmark and the USA. Mind you the production was very small - 6000 bottles. Today the production levels have reached the maximum of 30,000 bottles or 2500 cases.This wine is exceptional and has commanded high praise from wine critics internationally. Made from a blend of Merlot, with Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah. Outstanding deep crimson mauve colour. Superb nose, a magnificent sniff and an absolute experience. Perfectly ripe mulberry, blackcurrant and violets are welded into a harmonious whole. Full bodied concentrated palate flavours. Rich, ripe blackcurrant, mulberry and spice flavours are integrated with hints of dark chocolate and mixed ripe berries. Excellent subtle toasted oak integration. Perfect balance, velvet smooth soft tannins and very long aftertaste of spice, blackcurrant and cedar..A new jewel in the International Wine Market. STOCKS ARE VERY LIMITED.