Winemaker Notes
This blended red is a prime example of the style produced from the stony gravel soils of the Paritua Vineyard. Highly scented Black Doris plum, blackberry and black currant aroma’s with hints of baking spice, cedar and fine spicy oak. The palate shows dark fruits dominated by plum and blackberry with a rich full mid palate supported by firm, ripe tannins and a long, sumptuous finish. Subtle oak influence provides spicy notes and added structure.
Blend: Merlot 42%, Cabernet Franc 30%, Cabernet Sauvignon 20%, Malbec 8%
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
This Hawkes Bay Bordeauxstyle blend, dominated by Merlot and Cabernet Franc, opens energetically. Lively ripe berries spill from the glass, backed by sappy, savory nuances: olives, tree sap and scrubby herbs. The oak is neatly tucked away. There’s muscle to the palate but a lovely lift of acidity that adds purity to the tangy red currant fruit. Taut, textural tannins add layer in a wine that is straightforward yet harmonious. Drink now with charcuterie or until 2028.
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.