Winemaker Notes
Te Kahu means 'the cloak' in te reo Maori and refers to the mist that envelops Giants Winery in the Tukituki Valley. Legend has it that this mist was used to protect a mythical Maori maiden from the sun as she visited her lover Te Mata.
Deepest crimson red. Brooding aromatically with notes of cassis, black olive and dried tobacco enveloping a dense core of blue fruits. The wine has a lovely focus on the palate with dark fruits framed by fine tannins to deliver a classical structure with an excellent future ahead.
Blend: 69% Merlot, 13%Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot, 4% Malbec
Professional Ratings
-
James Suckling
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.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2020 Te Kahu Gimblett Gravels Vineyard is Merlot dominant, with contributions from Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot. Aromatically, the wine is plush and ripe, with luscious dark berry flavors bolstered by the rocky/graphite character that comes from the gravels. In the mouth, the wine is mineral and far lighter than the bouquet would indicate, with a dusty tannin profile that shapes the finish particularly.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
An eclectic region on the east coast of the North Island, Hawkes Bay extends from wide, fertile, coastal plains, inland, to the coast range, whose peaks reach as high as 5,300 feet. While the flatter areas were historically more popular because they are easier to cultivate, their alluvial soils can be too fertile for vines. In the late 20th century, the drive for quality led growers to the hills where soils are free-draining, limestone-rich and more suited to producing high quality wines.
Over the passing of time, the old Ngaruroro River laid down deep, gravelly beds, which were subsequently exposed after a huge flood in the 1860’s. In the 1980s growers identified this stretch, which continues for approximately 800 ha, and named it the Gimblett Gravels. The zone has proven to be ideal for the production of excellent red wines, particularly Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah.
Today the area takes well-earned recognition for its Bordeaux blends and other reds. Expressive of intense stewed red and black berry with gentle herbaceous characters, Gimblett Gravels wines are suggestive of their cool climate origin, and on par with other top-notch Bordeaux blends around the globe.
Chardonnay is the top white grape in Hawkes Bay, making elegant wines, strong in stone fruit character. Sauvignon blanc comes in close behind, notable for its tropical, fruit forward qualities.