ESK VALLEY ARTISANAL COLLECTION MALBEC / MERLOT / CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2019

Gold Medal & 95/100 – International Wine Challenge, London 2022

Winery notes (2019 Vintage)
“From the deep stony soils of the Gimblett Gravels, this Malbec based red was fermented in open top concrete fermenters and hand plunged. Deeply coloured and complex with jammy and plummy notes.

This is a very deeply coloured wine as you would expect from a Malbec based wine. 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.”

Top 5, 5 Stars & Best Buy Cuisine NZ Bordeaux Tasting, June 2022 (2019 Vintage)
“Beautifully brooding youthful blackcurrant, black doris plum and bramble abound on the nose which expresses the purity of fruit with just a hint of black pepper and spice. The silky and fine-grained oak tannins are well balanced against the fruit on the palate. This is a wine that demonstrates lovely weight and beautiful polish.”

5 Stars Yvonne Lorkin, June 2021 (2019 Vintage)
“It’s bursting with bright berries, omega plum, cherry and smoked blueberries on the nose and palate. Meaty, peppery, spice-saturated and heaving with a bouquet-garni of dried herbs, the tannins are furry and elastic and showing classic Gimblett Gravels grittiness. Contender for my best value red wine of 2021.”

Rated Excellent, 5 Stars & 94/100 NZ Wine Rater, March 2022 (2019 Vintage)
“Traditional, intense Bordelaise nose with fragrant plum and cassis fruit complexed by the distinctive, meaty, grilled-vegetable character of Malbec and generous levels of milk-coffee oak. Quite full, and robust with lush, juicy fruit flavours, good length, plenty of oak and chewy tannins. A very creditable wine that has all the elements for further bottle maturation.”

Rated Excellent & 93/100 Cameron Douglas MS, May 2021 (2019 Vintage)
“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”

5 Stars & 93/100 Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, May 2021 (2019 Vintage)
“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.”

4 ½ Stars Michael Cooper (2019 Vintage)
“Bargain-priced, the debut 2019 vintage 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 finish.”

NZ Bordeaux Red Tasting, Dish.co.nz, August 2021 (2019 Vintage)
“That this wine costs less than $30 blew our judges’ minds. Beautifully structured, silky, bursting with spicy, meaty, malbec-dominant signatures and stitched together with succulent spiced berries, cherries and plum, it’s a wine that instantly invites oohs and aahs. “Incredibly fragrant and fulsome, edged with smoked vanilla, chocolate and fruitcake,” noted Yvonne. “It’s dark and deeply delicious.””

95/100 International Wine Challenge, Judges Comment (2019 Vintage)
“A sophisticated and complex wine of morello cherry, plum and damson fruit character with velvety flavours and a long finish.”