Esk Valley Artisanal Gimblett Gravels Hawke's Bay Malbec Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon 2019

Esk Valley Artisanal Gimblett Gravels Hawke's Bay Malbec Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon 2019French oak Plum jam Dried herbs Soft tannins "It's immediately appealing on the nose showing blackcurrant, cedar, mixed spice and subtle dried herb nuances, leading to a succulent palate delivering fine texture and chalky tannins. Wonderfully balanced and harmonious with a persistent refined finish. At its best: now to 2029" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, May 2021 "Plums and dark chocolate, blackberry and sweet roasted bell peppers, tobacco and baking spices,

• French oak
• Plum jam
• Dried herbs
• Soft tannins

"It's immediately appealing on the nose showing blackcurrant, cedar, mixed spice and subtle dried herb nuances, leading to a succulent palate delivering fine texture and chalky tannins. Wonderfully balanced and harmonious with a persistent refined finish. At its best: now to 2029" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, May 2021

"Plums and dark chocolate, blackberry and sweet roasted bell-peppers, tobacco and baking spices, toasted wood and baked earth complexities. Youthful, fresh, fruity and dry on the palate with flavours of dark berries and plums, firm tannins and plenty of acidity. A delicious wine with very good length and detail. best cellared for a while then enjoyed from 2023 through 2030. Decant for service before then" Cameron Douglas, Master Sommelier, May 2021

"Bargain-priced, the debut 2019 vintage (4.5*) has loads of drink-young appeal. Grown in the Gimblett Gravels, it is deeply coloured, full-bodied and fleshy, with strong, ripe, plummy, spicy flavours, hints of chocolate and nuts, and a rich, seductively smooth finishr" Michael Cooper

This is a very deeply coloured wine, as you would expect from a Malbec base. It displays rich plummy, jammy Gimblett Gravels fruit on the nose with hints of tobacco and dried herbs. On the palate it is a medley of power and concentration from Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon allied with softer Merlot tannins.

The fruit for this wine was grown within the confines of the renowned Gimblett Gravels Wine Growing District. These deep stony soils deposited by the Ngaruroro River have excellent drainage and low vigour, and are ideally suited to the production of high quality red wine. The vineyard sites are close planted with low yields per vine to maximise quality. The 2019 harvest conditions were ideal and the vintage is highly regarded.

The individual vineyard and varietal parcels were harvested separately and fermented with wild yeast in open topped concrete fermenters. Hand plunging was employed to gently extract colour and tannin. After a period of post fermentation maceration the individual parcels were pressed to French oak barrels and aged in cool cellars for 18 months, before blending in November 2020. This is Esk Valley's first Malbec based wine from the Gimblett Gravels vineyards.

Food Pairing: This is a full bodied and complex wine, and an ideal accompaniment to red meat dishes.