WINEMAKER'S NOTES:
A complex aroma of blackberry, black currant, black Doris plum and cocoa powder with floral hints of violet and spicy notes of cardamom, anise and clove. The palate has great structure and intensity of flavour. A silky textured attack with plush, concentrated blackberry and firm mid palate tannin. Ripe Black Doris plum, cocoa and spice flavours with a hint of petrichor minerality and a long savoury fine grained tannin finish. The wine has fine cellaring potential.
TASTING NOTES:
This is big-boned, plush Bordeaux-style blend housed in a disappointingly heavy bottle. What's inside, however, is classic Hawke's Bay, complete with aromas of brambly berries, graphite, dried herbs, black olives and crushed violets. There's a glossy, cola-oak sheen as a backdrop. The palate is a well of velvety fruit and granular, herb-flecked tannins. There's a touch of alcohol heat and toasty oak, but overall this is a sturdily structured wine meant for the long haul. Drink through 2035.
- Wine Enthusiast, 93 pts.
