Now is the time for those Bordeaux blends to have their moment in the sun. Certainly some heavy hitters price wise among them, from a series of strong vintages, but I can happily report that they really did show their class. The fruit intensity is there to allow early drinking, but these are built for cellar time.
2020 Trinity Hill Prison Block Cabernet Sauvignon
Rating Outstanding
Powerfully expressed
cassis/blackcurrant,
dusty stones, earth,
oak nuances, crushed
leaf, a growing floral
aspect. Big and bold,
grippy tannins yet a
creamy touch too. For
all its power there’s
freshness and super
fruit clarity on the
long, dry finish.
Sumptuousness and
harmony, developing
wonderful richness. A
serious wine, built for
the future.
2021 Trinity Hill Gimblett Gravels The Gimblett
Rating Outstanding
Youthfully vibrant
nose, blackcurrant,
olive, dusty gravel,
plum, oak seasoning.
Richness yet a cooling
aspect too driven by a
hint of mint/menthol
and cranberry
tanginess on a frame
of darker fruits.
Youthful gangliness at
first, but this grows
superbly in the glass,
reminiscent of good
Bordeaux with the
structural intent to the
fore. A great future
ahead of it.
2019 Villa Maria Gimblett Gravels Ngakirikiri
Rating Outstanding
Ripely fruited and
perfumed nose, a wisp
of camphor almost
shifting to leafiness,
stony mineral qualities.
Plum and blackcurrant
fruit floods the mouth
with a backdrop of
leafy freshness. Ripe
tannins provide a
corset, again that
sense of vibrancy and
freshness. Power
without excess,
complexity,
completeness and real
depth of flavour.
2019 Pegasus Bay Maestro Merlot Malbec
Rating Excellent
Tea leaf, pencil lead, cassis, spices,
tobacco, youthfully
bold. The palate
mirrors the nose
adding a wisp of funk
and pencil shavings. A
brightness to this, a
"standing at
attention" arms
tucked in, shoulders
back tightness to it
showing its youth, yet
the elements are here
for the future. Wisps
of toffee and funk on
the close, crisp acidity
adding to its food-
friendliness.
2019 Elephant Hill Hieronymus
Rating Excellent to outstanding
Fragrant, darker fruits,
blackcurrant, stony
minerality, leafy hints,
opening up nicely,
hints at a little cedar.
Another wine that
manages ripeness with
sweetness,
chocolately hints,
minty freshness, sweet
tobacco leaf matched
by chewy tannins and
bright acidity. A sense
of elegance, not at all
forced. Power for sure
but nice balance.
2019 Elephant Hill Stone Merlot
Rating Very good to excellent
Gravelly, hints of
florality, a wisp of
funky wildness, fruit in
support, spices and
tangy freshness grow
with aeration. Vibrancy
and crunchiness to the
palate, some green
olive perhaps and
again that youthful
tangy quality.
Definitely still showing
its youthful side but
with a sense of
intrigue and interest.
The fruit carries on to
the close.
