THE GAIA PROJECT 2021 Merlot

The embodiment of Mother Nature, Gaia represents Mission’s deep and enduring commitment to our natural world. Seeking to minimise our impact on Earth a little more each day, The Gaia Project unites our many ongoing environmental practices to preserve our Earth for future generations.

"Soft and rich with generous black fruit and sweet spice.”

Sourced from two Gimblett Gravels vineyards in Hawke's Bay, one of which was organically grown. The resultant blend has combined structure and purity with texture and sweetness giving an expressive and vibrant wine. Intense dark fruits and ripe flavours
married with soft, rich tannins. This wine is generous and well structured with well managed, subtle oak for character.

The Gaia Project wines are kind on nature and wild on taste. Every aspect of their creation has been carefully considered to offer wine lovers an environmentally conscious choice with great flavour. The Gaia Project wines reflect our sustainability journey so far, from vineyard to glass.

New Zealand Winegrowing
Central to the success of New Zealand as a world-renowned wine growing region is the temperate maritime climate and the free-draining alluvial soils. The growing season is long, providing perfect conditions for slow ripening and full flavour development. Cool nights and warm days retain acidity which lends freshness and vibrancy to the wines, highly characteristic of New Zealand wine styles.

Hawke’s Bay Region
Located on the east coast of the North Island, Hawke’s Bay wine region is one of the warmest winegrowing regions in New Zealand.

The long and warm growing season provides
for excellent ripening conditions and full flavour
development.

The Gaia Project Sustainability Practices
• Mission has been a founding member of Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand since 1995 and ISO 14001 certified since 1998 – one of only a few wineries in New Zealand to have both certifications
• Some vineyards are certified BioGro Organic with others under conversion
• Every year we measure and benchmark our winery energy and water use with wineries of the same size. Consistently, we are below average. In 2021 we are:
• 58% more energy efficient and
• 63% more water efficient, compared with wineries of the same size

• We employ regenerative viticulture techniques and have been a leader in
organic vineyard research. In 2015, Mission was the winner of the Ballance Farm Environmental Awards for Excellent Soil Management
• Our packaging is lighter on Earth with 30% recycled content in the labels, lightweight bottles and 73% recycled content in the cartons

Soils
Gravel beds, free-draining alluvial soils and stony terraces
Growing Season
Dry, sunny and warm conditions delivering intense and characterful wines
Winemaking Technique
Fruit was lightly crushed and fermented on skins. The grapes and must were carefully mixed each day for colour and once fermentation was complete they remained a
further period on skins until the wine had gained its optimum texture before pressing. Maturation for 12 months in French oak barrels produced a well-structured,
fruit-driven, complex style with a full body.