The 2016 Chardonnay enjoyed great growing conditions and was harvested in pristine condition.
Picking Date: 22nd March 2016
Increasingly, our wines are being made through great canopy work in the vineyard allowing light and airflow to optimize ripeness and quality. This allows minimal intervention in the winemaking process. Hand picked fruit was pressed as whole bunches direct to a mix of French oak barriques and puncheons. Fermentation was allowed with mainly wild yeast. Regular lees stirring was adopted and some malolactic fermentation was permitted during spring. The wine stayed on lees until racking from Barrel late in January 2017 and the final blend was held on light lees until light fining and filtration in March 2018.
Bottled under screwcap
Alc 13.5% Vol
8.0 standard drinks
Lemon-green youthful hue.
Lifted stone fruit, citrus peel, expressive oak and a brioche note gives a complex layered nose.
Excellent front palate concentration, ripe fruit wrapped with fine oak. A seamless mid palate is followed by a lively finish.
The 2015 Syrah is a blend of both our Syrah blocks.
Picking Date: 7 April 2015 (Arataki Block & House Block)
Meticulous vineyard management then hand picked and colour sorted grapes gave us pristine fruit in the winery. Hand plunging in open top fermenters, basket pressing then extended maturation in French oak gave us the result we wanted.
Bottled under screwcap
Alc 13.4% Vol
8.0 standard drinks
Dense hue with fresh purple rim.
Ripe floral fruit with a hint of cherry and white spice. Subtle oak complements the fruit.
Vibrant fruit and integrated oak, ripe tannins, and soft acidity completes the long elegant finish.
Six years in the making, the 2014 Merlot is the first of it’s kind from the vineyard.
Picking Date: 22 March 2014
Meticulous canopy work and dry-farmed (un-irrigated) vines grown in the clay based soils result in the density to the tannin structure that is a hall mark of wines from the Havelock Hills sub region. 100% hand-picked Merlot grapes were table sorted to ensure only the best quality grapes were selected for this wine. Open top fermentation vats hand plunged twice daily. Careful blend selection has resulted in a wine we feel is the best expression of vintage and vineyard.
Bottled under screwcap
Alc 13.5% Vol
8.0 standard drinks
Dense hue with ruby-garnet rim.
Mulberry, coffee and vanilla oak. A brooding dark fruit lingers in the background.
Plush front palate concentration flows to elegant fine grained tannin. A soft acidity gives length and finesse.
The 2013 Syrah is a blend from both Syrah blocks from our vineyard.
Picking Date: 14 April 2013 (Arataki Block & House Block)
The 2013 vintage has been hailed as one of the best vintages in the last 25 years. Meticulous vineyard management, hand picked and sorting presented the winery with fruit in pristine condition. Hand plunged in open top fermenters, basket pressed followed by extended maturation in French oak. The wine was blended from individual components in March 2015 after 18 months in new and seasoned French oak.
Bottled under screwcap
Alc 14.0% Vol
8.3 standard drinks
Dense hue with fresh purple rim.
Lifted fruit, floral with a hint of cherry and white pepper. Subtle oak compliments the fruit giving depth on the nose.
Vibrant fruit leads to integrated oak wrapping the ripe tannins, a soft acidity completes the long finish.
Careful blend selection has resulted in the best expression of vintage and vineyard for this wine.
Picking Date: 2 April 2012 (Merlot), 24 April 2012 (Syrah)
The fruit is from the Havelock Hill’s Red Barrel Home Vineyard. The clay based soils give a density to tannin structure that is a hall mark of wines from this sub region. All fruit was hand-picked then table sorted to ensure only the best quality grapes were selected for this wine. Open top fermentation vats were hand plunged twice daily.
Blend Merlot 80% | Syrah 20%
Bottled under screwcap
Alc 13.0% Vol
7.7 standard drinks
Ruby garnet with fresh purple rim.
Expressive fruit, dark plum with a hint of brioche and blueberry. The subtle oak compliments bright fruit.
Sweet fruit fronts the palate with firm wrapping tannins. Soft acidity completes the long finish.
The 2013 Reserve Syrah is the first release of a reserve wine from our vineyard.
Picking Date: 14 April 2013
The house block consistently shows a depth and structure that captures the essence of Hawkes Bay Syrah at its best. The 2013 vintage has been hailed as one of the best vintages in the last 25 years. Meticulous vineyard management, hand picked and sorting presented the winery with spectacular fruit in pristine condition. Hand plunged in open top fermenters, basket pressed followed by extended maturation in 50% new French oak.
Bottled under screwcap
Alc 14.0% Vol
8.3 standard drinks
Dense hue with fresh purple rim.
Ripe fruit, plum with a hint of dark cherry. Toasty oak compliments the fruit giving depth on the nose.
Concentrated and vibrant fruit leads to fine expressive oak wrapping the dense tannins, a soft acidity completes the long finish.
The 2016 Rosé comes from purpose grown Merlot vines.
Picking Date: 6 April 2016
Hand picked Merlot was pressed as whole bunches to minimize tannin and excessive colour. Cold settling was followed by decanting juice off solids. Fermentation was completed in small tank to capture the vibrant fruit expression. The wine was then racked off fermentation solids and heavy lees then returned to light lees to impart some additional palate texture. Regular lees stirring was adopted until early spring. Minimal fining.
Bottled under screwcap
Alc 13.0% Vol
7.6 standard drinks
Medium strawberry hue.
Berry fruit, cherry with a hint of brioche.
Fleshy front palate, the elegant mid palate is followed by a bright finish.
The 2015 Chardonnay rewarded excellent canopy work and enjoyed great growing conditions.
Picking Date: 11th & 16th March 2015
Fruit was presented in pristine condition allowing minimal intervention in the winemaking process. Hand picked fruit was pressed as whole bunches direct to a mix of French oak barriques and puncheons. Fermentation was allowed with wild yeast. Regular lees stirring was adopted and some malolactic fermentation was permitted during spring. The wine stayed on lees until racking from Barrel late March.
Bottled under screwcap
Alc 13.5% Vol
8.0 standard drinks
Pale lemon-green youthful hue.
Stone fruit, citrus peel, and a hint of flintiness. Expressive oak, with a hazelnut and brioche note gives a complex layered nose.
Ripe front palate concentration, wrapped with fine oak. A seamless mid palate is followed by a lingering finish.
The 2014 Chardonnay comes from an excellent 2014 vintage.
Picking Date: 10 March 2014
Fruit was presented in pristine condition allowing minimal intervention in the winemaking process. Hand picked fruit was pressed as whole bunches, direct to a mix of French oak barriques and puncheons. Fermentation was allowed to start with wild yeast, some selected yeast was introduced to a portion. Regular lees stirring was adopted and some malolactic fermentation was permitted during spring. SO2 was added in November to prevent oxidation and the wine stayed on lees until racking from Barrel late May. Bottled August 2015.
Bottled under screwcap
Alc 14.5% Vol
8.6 standard drinks
Pale lemon-green youthful hue.
Lifted stone fruit, citrus peel, expressive toasty oak, with a hazelnut and brioche note give a complex layered nose.
Excellent front palate concentration, ripe fruit wrapped with fine oak. A seamless mid palate is followed by a bright long finish.