With optimal temperatures for a unprecedented growing season, 2005 afforded us the perfect weather for gorgeous fruit. Our Bliss merlot takes advantage of Mother Nature's kindness offering a rich wine displaying black cherry and oaky spice with a smooth finish.

Merlot is the most wide-spread red wine in Friuli. In the gravely and stony soils of the Grave del Friuli area, merlot is enhanced to give optimum fruit flavour. It has a ruby red colour with a slight
violet edge. The flavour is slightly herbaceous, full bodied and with ageing becomes fairly dry.

The 2006 Hillcot merlot is deep crimson in colour and exudes aromas of ripe stewed plums, black cherries and warm spicy oak. The vibrant fruit on the palate follows from the nose with intense ripe fruits and complimentary earthy and subtle leather characters. Further complexity is shown with spicy oak, this well structured wine has approachable tannins and a rewarding lengthy finish.            

   

The fruit was picked based on flavour and tannin ripeness over a period of ten days. This gave the wine a deep ruby red colour with intense varietal aromas of mulberry, raspberry and plums. The palate echos these dark fruits all assisted by ageing in fine French oak barriques for an extended period. A soft tannin structure indicative of Merlot will give immediate enjoyment but the wine will continue to gain complexity over the next 5 years.

      

A very dry growing season resulted in some veryconcentrated wines. Unfortunately not great volumes but delicious wines. A complex bouquet of earthy, blackberry aromas. This Merlot continues onto a round and soft palate displaying all of the above fruit with a round soft mouth filling palate and gentle acidity providing structure and length.

This wine is one of substance with fleshy fullness of flavour. The palate has an abundance of red berry fruit and cassis like characters. The juicy fruit flavours are balanced by subtle oak characters of nutmeg, spice and vanilla. The finish leaves a rich juicy sweet fruit character on the palate.