Floral and bursting with cherry, bramble, pepper and spiced red plum. Elegant, vivid, focussed. Coltish and lively on release, – approachable now, but built with structure and intensity to last. A positive, driving forward line of acidity. Oak sitting quietly in the background, adding a warmth and toast. Complex, glossy and layered. Spiced with star anise, sumac and a touch of soy, balsam umami, and then picking up a little graphite-mineral and earthiness. Lengthy, varietal finish. 94pts
The 2018 version of this wine was a creditable 6th in a line-up that one reader commented as looking like “a landmark tasting for this type of wine in New Zealand”
