A red ‘Bordeaux blend’ wine from this Te Awanga Estate – ‘Enigma’ is a right bank style with the blend containing 75% Merlot, 16.5% Malbec and 8.5% Cabernet Franc. Fermented with naturally occurring yeast strains, and spent around 4 weeks on skins prior to going into French oak, of which 35% was new. Sealed with a diam cork.
A medium ruby colour with some transparency. On the nose the dominant aroma is blackcurrant with touch of background baking spice. Flavours more aligned to a blackberry profile with some roundness and richness from the Merlot and Malbec added to a polished dimension from the Cabernet Franc which is more providing structure and precision rather than aromatic lift at this stage. Firm tannins have a hint of dustiness from the Merlot. Fruit has medium density and concentration with a purity and cleanness. Round acidity. While drinking well now I expect this will benefit from more time to open up – particularly aromatically – and develop more charm and elegance. Revisit in 3-5 years. 92pts
