Te Kahu Gimblett Gravels Vineyard 2020
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.
90 Points
VinousMedia.com
2020 vintage
94 Points
jamessuckling.com
2020 vintage
Harvest Note
While the season was wet through the Spring, it was dry and warm through ripening period, yielding an iconic vintage.
Tasting Note
Deep crimson red with brooding aromas of cassis, black olive and dried tobacco. The wine has a lovely focus on the palate with a core of dark fruits framed by fine tannins to deliver a classical structure with an excellent freshness.
Technical Data
GRAPES: 69% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot, 4% Malbec
APPELLATION: Gimblett Gravels
PH: 3.6
ACIDITY: 5.86
ABV: 14.1%
AGING: 17 months in oak barriques, 20% new
Unique Selling Points
- Te Kahu means 'the cloak' in te reo Māori, referencing a mythical love story
- Gimblett Gravels is known as New Zealand's best terroir for Bordeaux blends and Syrah
- The stony vineyard absorbs the day's heat and radiates it at night, helping ripeness.
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.
Julian Grounds, 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.
