All these wines from a tasting with the Esk Valley winemaker, Gordon Russell on 18th September 2019
Esk Valley Hawke’s Bay Rose 2019
From Hawke’s Bay merlot grapes, harvested early morning and kept as cool as possible. Made in the style of a dry white wine, but from red wine grapes. It’s a pale but shining pink colour with a burst of red fruits and berries on the nose – smelt blind you could expect a light red wine to be tasted. It has a surprisingly weight of texture for a ‘light’ wine, and fresh, lively, generous fruit flavours of spiced plum and redcurrant jelly. Finely balanced acidity leads to a smooth dry (about 6g/l of residual sugar) finish. This would be easily one of the best food-match wines around – perfect for the Christmas table, or as an aperitif with seafood and cold cuts.
Esk Valley Hawke’s Pinot Gris 2019
Whilst initially made in the ‘Alsace style’ when first created back in 1991, the Esk Valley Pinot Gris is these days it’s own style – perhaps more of a fattened Pinot Grigio in tempo. Fruit from the Barber Vineyard (picked earlier) gives a minerally backbone to the wine, the Keltern Vineyard donates a much riper richness to the blend. Unlike numerous wines I’ve tried of this variety – this wine could only be Pinot Gris. A pale yellow with pinkish edges in the glass, the nose hints at the fullness of the wine, with scents of honeyed baked stonefruit and a saline spiciness to the fore. It’s a big hit of fruit, with ripe pears and lychee, whilst a creamy lees influence adds depth, body and texture. A splash of sweetness combines with the natural acidity for great poise and Esk Valley trademark ‘textural’ mouthfeel. Natural drink-now appeal, mixed with a price point that is hard to beat; probably means that not too much of this will get put down in cellars, but I reckon those that do will reward with a richer complexity – I hear that ten year old versions are still drinking as lively, bold wines now.
Esk Valley Winemakers Reserve Chardonnay 2018
My first tilt at the new ’18 vintage of this famed Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay, made with Bay View fruit. Already a classic, this may well be joining the ranks of great NZ Chardonnays that add $10 a bottle pricetag to each successive (and successful) vintage. A flinty, scent of nuts and ripe white peach come showering out of the glass. These then joined with a floral and chalkiness underlay. First tastes reveal an almost brooding depth – complex waves of grapefruit and citrus are enriched with a yeastiness, and then a subtle oakiness of baked anzac biscuit unfolds. The acidity underpins the soft fruit and a textural quality leads out to a lingering and well-rounded ending.
Esk Valley Gimblett Gravels Merlot/Malbec/Cabernet Sauvignon/Cabernet Franc 2017
Already regarded by Michael Cooper as the Best Buy red wine of this year, and beloved by fans of classic Hawke’s Bay red blends everywhere. This classic Gimblett Gravels blend is bewildering quality and value for the pricetag. Bang for your buck is in this bottle. An immediate bouquet of herbs, cherries, cedarwood and cigar box starts you off as you swirl the glass of dense deep black-red colours. Firm but fine-grained tannins enfold a supple medium bodied core of savoury and fragrant berry fruits. A plush oak influence adds spice and the palate is a curious marriage of Bordeaux generosity with a subtle Rhone-like complexity? A smooth and velvet finish. Just delicious now, and would probably get more rounded with age.
Esk Valley The Hillside 2010
In a year when the top-tier Terraces wine wasn’t made, this fruit is from the renowned Bay View vineyard; a blend of Malbec, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Picked on one day and co-fermented as a rare, true field blend that totally encapsulates the site. Gordon is heard to say that when he sees the fruit, he can picture the wine that he will make (or at least, help it become). This is a wine that looks bold in the glass, holding the purple colour of deep two-day old bruise. A musky dried leaf and crushed spice scented offering, with upfront flavours of hazelnut chocolate cookie and plums. The grips from the tannin backbone start to come through, but are enriched by complex inky blackberry notes from the Malbec and the oaky seasoning. A rich and flowing finish completes the masterpiece. At nine years old, this is still a vibrant, youthful wine – already delicious, but clearly with decades of life to come.
Esk Valley Winemakers Reserve Syrah 2014
A single vineyard pick from the Gimblett Gravels ‘Cornerstone’ Vineyard, providing superb hand-picked Reserve grade fruit. Fermented in the classic Esk Valley concrete fermenters, and plunged four times a day for 30 days. 15 months maturation in French oak barriques. Pure syrah variety on the nose – pepper and spice, with hints of incense and warm blanket. The palate is filled with a soft-fruited boysenberry and damson concentration; but with a youthful playfulness underpinned by a taut spine of acidity and grippy tannins. Full bodied, and already generous & supple, with a dense and lingering finish. I would have to imagine this wine gaining complexity as it goes through the ages, and would reward it’s obvious cellaring potential.
