Winemaker Notes
Oyster Bay had to go out of their way to find the best place to grow Merlot. In the Hawke’s Bay, they discovered perfection. From its abundant, clear sunlight and ancient soils comes a Merlot that excites the senses with its fragrance, softness and elegant fruit intensity.
Aged in French oak barriques to impart complexity, the heroes in this Oyster Bay New Zealand Merlot are always freshness of ripe fruit, spice and soft tannins on the palate. Oyster Bay Merlot features bright cherry aromas and rich plum with subtle spice and a soft lingering texture.
A wonderful Merlot red wine perfectly crafted to accompany any special moment. It pairs perfectly with rich Italian-inspired dishes and red meats.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Plenty of merlot character here, with dark berries, fresh herbs, green olives and flowers on the nose and palate. Medium body with medium, round tannins and a polished finish.
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Decanter
Black and red fruit with a hint of tomato leaf, toasty oak and savoury notes. Quite powerful on the palate.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2020 Oyster Bay Merlot is packed with delicious ripe fruit. TASTING NOTES: This wine excels with aromas and flavors of black cherry and savory spices. Enjoy it with oven-baked game hens. (Tasted: October 29, 2022, San Francisco, CA)
With generous fruit and supple tannins, Merlot is made in a range of styles from everyday-drinking to world-renowned and age-worthy. Merlot is the dominant variety in the wines from Bordeaux’s Right Bank regions of St. Emilion and Pomerol, where it is often blended with Cabernet Franc to spectacular result. Merlot also frequently shines on its own, particularly in California’s Napa Valley. Somm Secret—As much as Miles derided the variety in the 2004 film, Sideways, his prized 1961 Château Cheval Blanc is actually a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc.
An eclectic region on the east coast of the North Island, Hawkes Bay extends from wide, fertile, coastal plains, inland, to the coast range, whose peaks reach as high as 5,300 feet. While the flatter areas were historically more popular because they are easier to cultivate, their alluvial soils can be too fertile for vines. In the late 20th century, the drive for quality led growers to the hills where soils are free-draining, limestone-rich and more suited to producing high quality wines.
Over the passing of time, the old Ngaruroro River laid down deep, gravelly beds, which were subsequently exposed after a huge flood in the 1860’s. In the 1980s growers identified this stretch, which continues for approximately 800 ha, and named it the Gimblett Gravels. The zone has proven to be ideal for the production of excellent red wines, particularly Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah.
Today the area takes well-earned recognition for its Bordeaux blends and other reds. Expressive of intense stewed red and black berry with gentle herbaceous characters, Gimblett Gravels wines are suggestive of their cool climate origin, and on par with other top-notch Bordeaux blends around the globe.
Chardonnay is the top white grape in Hawkes Bay, making elegant wines, strong in stone fruit character. Sauvignon blanc comes in close behind, notable for its tropical, fruit forward qualities.