NZ-Wide 
NZ-Wide
Free Shipping
Buy Online76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot & 5% Cabernet Franc
Winery notes (2015 Vintage)
"Naming wines can be a tricky business, and inspiration can strike at the most unlikely moments – in this case behind the wheel of a John Deere 6300. We first sourced fruit for this wine from Hawke’s Bay winegrower Allan Gunn. We’d struggled to find a name we all felt passionate about, until one day Allan was driving his tractor through the vineyard, listening to the radio commentary of the legendary defence of the America’s Cup by Team New Zealand. Black Magic crossed the finish line and the bolt of inspiration hit. He phoned winemaker Tony Bish, convinced he’d found the elusive name for a great New Zealand wine. Helmsman was born.
Deeply coloured appearance. The aroma is beautifully perfumed and fragrant with cassis, ripe blackcurrant, white truffle and dark chocolate. The palate has ripe, black fruits, black olives with the sweetness of the Cabernet Franc showing through. Classically structured, this is a tightly bound, elegant yet powerful red wine with tremendous power on the finish."
5 Stars Michael Cooper (2015 Vintage)
"This is a classy, single-vineyard Gimblett Gravels red from Hawke's Bay. The powerful 2015 vintage, blended from Cabernet Sauvignon (76 per cent), Merlot (19 per cent) and Cabernet Franc (5 per cent), was hand-picked and matured for 18 months in French oak barriques (50 per cent new). A classic, youthful, Cabernet-based red, it is fragrant and deeply coloured, with highly concentrated blackcurrant, plum and herb flavours, seasoned with nutty oak. Dense and firmly structured, it's a stylish, very ageworthy wine, likely to be at its best 2022+."
5 Stars & 98/100 Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, June 2017 (2015 Vintage)
"The gratifying bouquet shows blackcurrant, mixed berry compote, cigar box, black olive and cedar aromas, leading to a concentrated and meticulously expressed palate that is richly fruited with seductive savoury nuances. The wine is sophisticated and substantial, brilliantly structured by fine, chalky tannins. Powerful and perfectly proportioned, this is a compelling rendition. From the Gimblett Gravels district, 2015 Helmsman is a blend of 76% cabernet sauvignon, 19% merlot and 5% cabernet franc. At its best: 2020 to 2032."
5 Stars & 19.5/20 (98) Raymond Chan, July 2017 (2015 Vintage)
"Very full, near impenetrable black-hued purple-red colour, a little lighter on the rim, youthful in appearance. The nose is beautifully refined, but very concentrated and intense with subtly penetrating and deep aromas of ripe blackcurrant and blackberry fruit, along with plum and liquorice notes and delicate cassis liqueur elements. Medium-full bodied, the palate has very concentrated and tightly bound, rich and sweet flavours of ripe blackcurrants, blackberries, cassis and liquorice. The fruit has great drive and linearity, and is supported by considerable structure, the tannins very fine-grained and flowery. The acidity lends balance and energy, and the wine carries with great drive and underlying power to a very long and sustained, nuanced finish. The is a wonderfully concentrated and rich Cabernet Sauvignon-based blend with considerable structure, linearity and energy. Match with roasted lamb, beef and venison, or serve with hard cheeses over the next 10-15 years. First made in 1997. A blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot and 5% Cabernet Franc, from the ‘Deerstalkers’ vineyard, Gimblett Gravels, mainly indigenous yeast fermented to 13.5% alc., the wine spending 30-40 days on skins, the wine aged 20 months in 50% new French oak. 263 dozen made."
5 Stars & 94/100 Bob Campbell MW, The Real Review, November 2017 (2015 Vintage)
"A blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and cabernet franc from the Gimblett Gravels district of Hawke’s Bay. Full-flavoured, peppery red with cedar, herb, blackberry, violet and spicy oak flavours. A dense, firmly-structured wine with obvious cellaring potential."
