Wine Reviews

Inviting aromas of sliced plums, black cherries, graphite and lead pencil. Medium- to full-bodied with silky, structured tannins. Linear on the palate, with crushed stone minerality giving definition and freshness to the black fruit. Vibrant and bright. This can age but is already so attractive now. 69% merlot, 13% cabernet sauvignon, 10% cabernet franc, 4% malbec and 4% petit verdot. Drink or hold. Screw cap.

The palate flexes muscles but the lifted acidity and powdery, spicy tannins don’t obscure the fruit or site expression. A wine of power but also of clarity and approachability.

The 2020 Te Kahu Gimblett Gravels Vineyard is a mid-weight, balanced Bordeaux with supple, silky fruit reminiscent of black currant pastilles, and a graphite lift.

While this Merlot-dominant blend is now shedding its youthful, primary fruit, there’s still lots of development to go, with a firm grip of tannins still holding the elegant core of fruit. There’s plenty of fruit concentration and purity here. A classic Bordeaux-blend fragrance of plum, tobacco, cedar and festive spices lingers on the lengthy finish, and classic gravelly tannins provide the frame.