Esk Valley Terraces Malbec Merlot Cab Franc 2016

The Terraces Vineyard is perched on the steep north -west orientated hillside , this sunny, sheltered site was originally planted in the 1940s and re-established with its current plantings in 1989. It occupies approximately one hectare and is planted with Malbec, Merlot and Cabernet Franc which are harvested and fermented together as a field blend and true expression of the vineyard.

This wine is fermented as a vineyard blend with the individual plots of Malbec, Merlot and Cabernet Franc being harvested and processed together. The grapes were hand harvested, sorted and destemmed to a single 80 year-old concrete vat for fermentation. Hand plunging was employed for cap management. The finished wine was aged in 50% new French oak barriques for 17 months and bottled unfined and unfiltered.

The wine is deeply coloured and full of primary black fruits, including cherry and blackberry. As a young wine, French oak notes complement the fruit, but with time, complexity and vineyard nuances will predominate. This wine has been sealed with a screw cap to guarantee the quality of each bottle and offer even greater cellaring potential

• Region: Hawkes Bay
• Varietal: Malbec Merlot Cabernet Franc
• Size: 750ml
• Vintage: 2016
• Case size: 6x bottles
• Awards & Reviews:
  1. 96/100 – Bob Campbell MW The Real Reveiw 2018
  2. 96/100 Points – Decanter 2019
  3. 96/100 Points - Cameron Douglas MS Decanter 2021
  4. 95/100 & James Suckling’s Top 100 NZ wines of 2018 – James Suckling