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Buy OnlineWinery notes (2019 Vintage)
"Two champion varieties from the Gimblett Gravels wine growing district come seamlessly together in this delicious fusion, bursting with Black Doris plum and brambly black berry fruits, complemented with subtle cedary oak and a lingering spicy liquorice finish.
The grapes for this generous wine were grown in the stony soils of the prestigious Gimblett Gravels Winegrowing District, on low yielding closely-spaced vines. Sourced from the Mills Reef Mere Road site, the fruit was picked without duress thanks to excellent sunny weather over harvest enabling unpressured picking decisions based solely on when each parcel had reached optimum ripeness and condition. Harvesting of the Cab Franc occurred on the 15th of April, with the Cabernet Sauvignon 11 days later on the 26th April
The grapes were gently crushed, allowing some whole berries to remain intact, with the resulting must then transferred into open-top fermenters for a 4-day cold soak. Each vineyard parcel was kept separate. Fermentation proceeded with daily air rummage of the cap for colour, flavour and fine tannin extraction. The resulting wines were racked once and aged for 15 months in quality French oak 300L hogsheads (47% new wood). "
4 ½ Stars Michael Cooper (2019 Vintage)
"Well worth cellaring, the 2019 vintage was estate-grown and matured for 15 months in French oak hogsheads (47 per cent new.) A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, it is full-coloured and mouthfilling, with generous blackcurrant, red berry, plum and spice flavours, showing very good complexity, fresh acidity and a fairly firm finish. Best drinking 2024+."
93/100 David Walker Bell, WineFolio.co.nz, August 2023 (2019 Vintage)
"A wine from Mills Reef, grown in the Mere Road vineyard in the Gimblett Gravels sub-region of Hawke’s Bay – and from the superb 2019 vintage. An inkily dark and deep black-garnet in the glass. Richly aromatic, with good varietal typicity on the nose. Perfumed with blackcurrant, damson, raspberry and liquorice, with equally savoury notes of moss, graphite and toasted nori. Firmly structured and a noticeable warmth of cedary oak framing the fruit. The Cabernet Sauvignon is well-matched with, and filled in with the Franc. The Franc’s earthy smokiness offset by the plush glossy juice of the Cab Sav. A racy acidity pushes the wine to a generous, elegant finish."
