Te Kahu Gimblett Gravels Vineyard 2023
Trade Tools
New Zealand
Te Kahu means 'the cloak' in te reo Māori and refers to the mist that envelops Giants Winery in the Tukituki Valley. Legend has it that this mist was used to protect a mythical Maori maiden from the sun as she visited her lover, Te Mata. The fruit for Te Kahu is grown in the Hawkes Bay Gimblett Gravels Vineyard, which enjoys one of the warmest, driest, most sundrenched climates in New Zealand. Stony gravel in the soil forces the vines to fight for water, giving the grapes a particular vibrancy.
Harvest Note
The 2023 vintage in Hawke’s Bay was extremely challenging due to cool summer conditions and the devastating impact of Cyclone Gabrielle in mid-February, which brought over five times the normal rainfall and caused major flooding. Many vineyards suffered significant damage and crop losses due to disease and flooding. However, growers in less-affected areas like Gimblett Gravels were able to harvest healthy, ripe fruit with meticulous vineyard management.
Tasting Note
Ruby red in color, with notes of juicy red fruits and a savory undertone. The aromatics leap from the glass, offering freshly picked raspberries and black cherry, alongside blackcurrant leaves, violets, and charred spices. These characteristics carry through to the palate, where they're met with moreish cocoa powder tannins, along with hints of dried tobacco and cedar.
Technical Data
GRAPES: 81% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc
APPELLATION: Hawke's Bay
PH: 3.56
ACIDITY: 5.84
ABV: 12.5%
AGING: 20% of the wine was aged in new French oak barriques for 16 months
Unique Selling Points
- The Gimblett Gravels appellation is known as one of New Zealand's best terroirs
- The stony, free-draining soils reduce canopy vigor and produce exceptional wines
- River stones absorb heat and radiate warmth at night promoting ripeness and flavor
I am fortunate to lead an extraordinary group of people who want to be part of creating something truly magnificent that successive generations can admire and enjoy for years to come. I love our great estates and feel a strong connection to their complexities and subtleties.
Ben Tombs, Winemaker
About the Grape
Merlot
Merlot makes plump, succulent wines to drink young or opulently massive wines for aging. Has silky, blackberry and currant fruit, with spice, earth, tobacco and chocolate notes, and soft tannins.
Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc usually shows tart red cherry and wild currant aromas and flavors with an herbal, spicy character. In the Loire, esp. Chinon and Saumur-Champigny, this grape shows firm minerality.
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon is adaptable to various growing conditions, and is known for its low yield and late ripeness. It generally produces full-bodied wines with substantial acidity and tannins.
Malbec
Well-made Malbec is a dark, perfumed wine with rich, blackberry and damson plum fruit, aromas of violets and tobacco, and ripe, juicy tannins. In France, may be mineral, structured and austere.
