Esk Valley Artisanal Gimblett Gravels Hawke’s Bay Malbec Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon 2021

Esk Valley Artisanal Gimblett Gravels Hawke’s Bay Malbec Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon 2021"Medium deep crimson. Fragrant dark berry, chinotto, inky dark chocolate aromas with herb garden notes. Generously concentrated wine with abundant cassis, blackberry fruits, chinotto cola notes, fine chocolaty chalky textures, superb inky density and attractive underlying marzipan vanilla notes, Lovely volume, richness and vigour. Drink 2026 2036" Andrew Calliard, Master of Wine, Gimblett Gravels Annual Vintage Selection 2022 "This is instantly

"Medium deep crimson. Fragrant dark berry, chinotto, inky dark chocolate aromas with herb garden notes. Generously concentrated wine with abundant cassis, blackberry fruits, chinotto/ cola notes, fine chocolaty/ chalky textures, superb inky density and attractive underlying marzipan vanilla notes, Lovely volume, richness and vigour.  Drink 2026 - 2036" Andrew Calliard, Master of Wine, Gimblett Gravels Annual Vintage Selection 2022

"This is instantly appealing on the nose with blackcurrant, Black Doris plum, violet, tobacco and roasted almond characters. The palate is equally enticing with succulent fruit flavours combined with silky texture and fine tannins, finishing splendidly long and flavoursome. From the Gimblett Gravels district. At its best: now to 2031" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Apr 2023

"Fabulous bouquet, ripe, fresh and varietal with core fruits of boysenberry and black berries, dark plums layers of wood. The freshness and intensity continues on the palate with flavours of red fruits that mirror the bouquet, wood spices, clove and vanilla, chocolate and sweet wood qualities. Well made, lengthy and delicious. Best drinking from 2024 through 2030+" Cameron Douglas, Master Sommelier, May 2023

This is a very deeply coloured and flavoursome wine as you would expect from a Malbec based wine. It displays rich plummy, jammy Gimblett Gravels fruit notes on the nose with complementary notes of tobacco and dried herbs. On the palate it is a medley of complex fruit flavours supported by a generous mouthfeel and age-worthy 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. Our vineyard sites are close planted with low yields per vine to maximise quality. The 2021 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 our open topped concrete fermenters. Hand plunging was employed to gently extract colour and tannin. After a period of post ferment maceration the individual parcels were pressed to French oak barrels and aged in cool cellars for 19 months before being bottled unfiltered in January 2023.

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