Esk Valley Heipipi The Terraces Malbec Cabernet Franc Merlot 2020 750ml

Esk Valley Heipipi The Terraces Malbec Cabernet Franc Merlot 750ml

96/100 David Walker Bell, WineFolio.co.nz

"One of New Zealand’s great ‘Bordeaux style’ red wines – from a steep hillside vineyard in Bayview, Hawke’s Bay. The low yielding vines were planted back in 1989 and  The Terraces  is a true ‘field blend’ – that is, all the grapes are harvested on a single day. A mix of Malbec, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. A dense, near-black claret colour. The perfume has dark plum, vanilla, raspberry, cassis, amber, crushed herbs, cherry, pink peppercorn and liquorice threaded through a smoky incense note. Not heavy, there is a gentle calmness to the palate, with supple tannin and moderate acidity as the spine. As you delve in, the wine evolves, with more density and energy, and spicy, savoury elements join the ripe fruits (’20 was a great vintage). This is superb now, and I predict will still be superb in twenty years if cellared well."

The jewel in the Esk Valley crown. This single vineyard wine sourced from the Heipipi Vineyard is widely regarded amongst the finest of New Zealand’s wines. Produced from extremely low yielding vines planted in 1989 and harvested on a single day, this field blend of Malbec, Merlot and Cabernet Franc is the purest expression possible from this dramatic, steeply terraced site. Dry farmed, co-fermented in a single concrete fermenter with wild yeast and bottled without either fining or filtration this is a wine of purity and complexity, expressing the grandeur of a most unique vineyard.

Alc: 14.5%