Esk Valley Great Dirt Hillside Hawke's Bay Malbec Merlot Cabernet Franc Syrah 2020

Esk Valley Great Dirt Hillside Hawke's Bay Malbec Merlot Cabernet Franc Syrah 2020French oak Ripe plum & berry Spice & nuts Mouth filling "The classy 2020 vintage (5*) was grown on the elevated, north facing Heipipi Vineyard, at Bay View, and matured for 18 months in seasoned French oak puncheons. Full, bright ruby, it is mouthfilling and supple, with deep, ripe plum, berry, spice and nut flavours, complex and finely textured. Gentle and savoury, with notable harmony, it is a distinctive red, well worth discovering" Michael Cooper

• French oak
• Ripe plum & berry
• Spice & nuts
• Mouth-filling

"The classy 2020 vintage (5*) was grown on the elevated, north-facing Heipipi Vineyard, at Bay View, and matured for 18 months in seasoned French oak puncheons. Full, bright ruby, it is mouthfilling and supple, with deep, ripe plum, berry, spice and nut flavours, complex and finely textured. Gentle and savoury, with notable harmony, it is a distinctive red, well worth discovering" Michael Cooper

This wine is sourced from the famed “Terraces” vineyard. This limestone-based vineyard on the northwest facing hillside at the old Esk Valley winery site in Bay View has long been known for its ability to make elegant and complex wine. The vineyard was initially planted in Malbec, Merlot, Cabernet Franc in 1989 on re-established terraces which had sat idle for 30 years and then in 2007 an area of scrubland at the top of the hill was cleared for a small plot of Syrah. The vineyard is densely planted and dry-farmed with extremely low yields per vine.