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NZ-Wide
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Buy OnlineThis is regarded as one of New Zealand's most iconic red wines and certainly one with many unique features. First produced in 1991 from a terraced vineyard behind the winery. The name Heipipi references that a large fortified Maori village sat atop the hillside. This was first terraced and planted in vines in the 1940's then the vineyard fell into dis-use and was planted in pines. These were felled and the current vineyard planted with Malbec, Merlot and Cabernet Franc in the 1980s. Only produced in the very best vintages – this is just the 15th release since that first one in 1991. This is a now a 'field blend' wine – all the grapes are picked together on the same day and fermented together in the concrete fermenter, regularly hand plunged before being pressed into barrel for 17 months aging. This is a wine that even the superlatives struggle to describe how good this is. A spectacular wine. Dense, power-packed lusciousness backed by freshness. A special wine from a special place.
Winery notes (2020 Vintage)
"The jewel in the Esk Valley crown. This single vineyard wine sourced from the Heipipi Vineyard is widely regarded amongst the finest of New Zealand’s wines. Produced from extremely low yielding vines planted in 1989 and harvested on a single day, this field blend of Malbec, Merlot and Cabernet Franc is the purest expression possible from this dramatic, steeply terraced site. Dry farmed, co-fermented in a single concrete fermenter with wild yeast and bottled without either fining or filtration this is a wine of purity and complexity, expressing the grandeur of a most unique vineyard.
This is a handcrafted wine with much effort made to produce a wine of elegance that is a true expression of its site. The wine is deeply coloured and full of primary black fruits, including cherry and blackberry. As a young wine, cedar notes complement the fruit, but with time, complexity and vineyard nuances will predominate. This wine has been sealed with a screw cap to guarantee the quality of each bottle and offer even greater cellaring potential."
96/100 David Walker Bell, WineFolio.co.nz, December 2024 (2020 Vintage)
"One of New Zealand’s great ‘Bordeaux style’ red wines – from a steep hillside vineyard in Bayview, Hawke’s Bay. The low yielding vines were planted back in 1989 and The Terraces is a true ‘field blend’ – that is, all the grapes are harvested on a single day. A mix of Malbec, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. A dense, near-black claret colour. The perfume has dark plum, vanilla, raspberry, cassis, amber, crushed herbs, cherry, pink peppercorn and liquorice threaded through a smoky incense note. Not heavy, there is a gentle calmness to the palate, with supple tannin and moderate acidity as the spine. As you delve in, the wine evolves, with more density and energy, and spicy, savoury elements join the ripe fruits (’20 was a great vintage). This is superb now, and I predict will still be superb in twenty years if cellared well."
Reviews for the 2019 vintage below…
Rated Outstanding & 97/100 Cameron Douglas MS (2019 Vintage)
"Fabulous colour, purity and intensity, there’s a lot of energy in the bouquet of this wine with dark spices and black berry fruits, sweet black olive and dark chocolate, the toasty barrel qualities bring forward scents of sweet vanilla pod and fresh cloves, there’s violets and plums and a light brambly quality. Fantastic on the palate with a plush mouthfeel, highly polished tannins and back bone of acidity. The concentration layers flavour throughout the palate delivering a wonderful mouthfeel and finish. Best drinking from today if you want or 2027 through 2040+."
