Our latest Top 10 Tasting had the theme of ‘Bordeaux Varietals’ – wines made with grapes whose DNA is most associated with the powerhouse region in France. The classic european varietals of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec and Cabernet Franc. Wines can be a blend, or single varietals, as long as they are ‘currently available’. Although this type of wine is made all over New Zealand – and we had entries from far and wide – the results show that Hawke’s Bay maintains their reputation as the go-to region for this style. Only our No.1 wine from the whole Top 10 was from outside Hawke’s Bay. Looking at our results, it also looks as though Cabernet Sauvignon had a good couple of years in ’20 and ’21!
We are looking for ‘the best’ in WineFolio (actually, our golden rule is “delicious”) and as the wines are all tasted blind – we are simply judging each glass by what is in it. “Value”, or price, doesn’t come into the equation. We taste each glass with a little time – this isn’t a show style judging, where you might run through thirty wines in half an hour. Our aim is to give each wine a generous chance to shine. There was a range of styles, from muscular oak-heavy bruisers, to lighter ruby-hued wines. However, each is judged on merit, and the no.1 rule – is it delicious. In itself. Do I like it? Deliberation is vigorous – with any judge who really likes (or dislikes) a wine, given opportunity to explain their thoughts to the rest of the panel.
We receive many more wines than just the ten on this list – for the day’s tasting – but we only publish the ten highest scoring entries in our list. Personally, I was very impressed by the standard across the board. It must be noted that many mid-priced wines showed very well in this tasting. Whilst a lot of our Top 10 are at the more pricey-end of the scale, there are excellent standard wines at the entry level as well. Several wines in placings 11-15 were very unlucky to miss out on this prestigious list by a point or two. All of our Top 10 were gold medal scorers.
As a side note – our steward also pulled plenty of corks – around a quarter of the entries were sealed under cork.
Onto the wines
Our winner was Te Motu 2020. It received Gold Medal scores from all the judges. General manager at Te Motu Vineyards, Rory Dunleavy, was thrilled with the news, and sent me a few words about the winning wine and vintage:
“A world turned upside-down, a new baby, and a near-perfect crop. Vintage 2020 was certainly one for the books. Against all the odds that turbulent year was an absolute dream vintage here on the island. As the story broke of the pandemic hitting NZ I was holding our day-old newborn daughter Olive in the recovery room at Birthcare, our entire crop of reds still on the vine back on the island – uncertainty hanging over what would happen next.
As good sense prevailed, with wineries granted ‘essential business’ status – we began harvest during lockdown, social distancing in the vines. Perhaps more so than any good year we were incredibly grateful to find pristine, clean, ripe, concentrated fruit across the board. Minimal sorting was needed – in fact, in most blocks the fruit condition was perfect enough to ‘pick-and-drop’ and quality superb.
The growing season ran a little hotter and drier than the 2019, with the resulting wines shifting up the dial on concentration and structure in all the best ways. Te Motu is our signature Bordeaux-style blend, hand harvested from low-yielding vines in the Onetangi Valley. 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc and 8% Malbec. 2 years élevage in French barriques. 3850 bottle production.”
This what we thought:
#1 Te Motu 2020
Quite elegant and french in style. “A big, broad-shouldered wine” with plush, black fruit, a dense grip tannin and generous oak. Although youthful and a few years from its prime it is already showing excellent drinkability. A balance of fresh, herbal crispness (and good acidity) and savoury notes of leather and tapenade. A great example of blending – with the Cabernet setting off around the edges of your tastebuds, and the Merlot filling in the middle. Malbec adding colour, juiciness and spice, with just a nibble of smoky Franc flavours rounding things out.
#2 Topsy Turvey Cabernet Sauvignon 2020
A great colour in the glass, translates well to a burst of varietal typicity in the perfume. Punchy aromas of blackcurrant, plum, cherry and raspberry fruit. Very agile, balancing depth and perky acidity. “Rooibois tea, vanilla and coconut notes” emerge later in the palate, adding richness. You also can’t miss the producer’s love of oak, but we found “the oak fits the wine” – it doesn’t distract, and the juice just eats it up. Decadent and unctuous – a great New Zealand expression of this very classic variety.
#3 Trinity Hill Prison Block 2021
A tricky one to judge, as it shows one of the most youthful faces in the line-up. First needing to see past the concentrated, tight-knit facade, it was remarkable just how it bloomed with air. “This is how I want my Cabernet” said one judge out loud. “Look at the colour!” featured in the notes. Cassis, liquorice, damson, black tea and cigar box. Dusty, dry tannin met brisk acidity on the palate. Such length to the finish.
#4 Paritua single vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2020
A really “dark bloody burgundy” colour. A powerful bouquet – “smells like Old Holborn tobacco” underneath black, spicy fruit. Peppercorn, hay, dried herbs and smoked olive. A good palate weight – smooth but intense. Toasty oak adds an old-school european edge to these New World flavours. Dry and long at the finish.
#5 Church Road ‘1’ single vineyard Merlot
In a good year, Hawke’s Bay Merlot can be spectacular. This one rounding out our top half. The nose is clearly Merlot – a super clarity of dark plum, blackberry and morello cherry fruits. Some cocoa, thyme and an earthy, peaty savouriness. ‘A high line of acidity” gives good drive through the palate – quite agile and energetic. Tannin has that dusty Hawke’s Bay summertime note to it, the plate getting warmer and broader as you go.
#6 Radburnd Merlot-Cabernet 2020
The 2019 vintage of this wine topped one of our Top 10 tastings in 2022. “Built to last” featured in the notes of one scorer. A black-garnet claret colour in the glass, with aromas to match, of black doris plum, cranberry, olive, tobacco and lavender. The wine evolves over the time it takes us to judge, with toasted spice and mocha peeking out. The palate shows some power and weight from the Cabernet, then a lush texture from the Merlot. Supple tannins and juicy acidity form a core, and a confident oak note frames the palate. The finish has length and polish.
#7 Mission Jewelstone ‘Antoine’ Cabernet-Merlot 2020
A deep red-black colour. Cherry, strawberry, white pepper, orange peel and bramble. A nice floral lift follows into the palate that’s quite tight – almost lean at first. “Crazy tannins – such grip and pucker – is this Barolo?” wrote one reviewer. A savoury seam of tobacco, loam and nori leads in another direction. We collectively agree it needs more time to knit together – otherwise this could have scored higher.
#8 Church Road ‘1’ single vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2021
Scented with dark blackcurrant, damson, cigar smoke, bracken, blackberry and a floral note of rose petal and lavender. The ripe fruit sits up – the balance between fleshy dark berry fruit and some grippy tannin is exquisite. There is a fresh tightness in the palate where the saturation and concentration is carried well by a generous acidity. Already drinking well, and quite seamless… a plush, velvet texture swaddles the finish.
#9 Elephant Hill ‘Hieronymous’ 2020
We had a love/hate reaction to this perfume, with a sweetness to the nose. Plum, cassis, provencal herbs, strawberry, sour cherry and violet florals. A rich yet agile statement. Great structure and framework, delivering dark, robust tannins under a fluid, bright acidity. There is plenty of new oak, adding depth and nuance to the mix. Firmly concentrated, intense, sweet-fruited and polished – could be a good Bordeaux wine.
#10 Askerne ‘Dr. John’ 2021
One judge immediately said “Feels like a Reserve wine” – this one has a certain plushness, with a nice toastiness to the oak, and softer, long tannins. Tomato leaf, salami, violet and black pepper as well as a hit of ripe, lush fruit. A couple of us scored this highly… a couple not so much. David found the finish “smooth, dry and long”.
