A red blend from the Gimblett Gravels in Hawke’s Bay. An ode to Cabernets, with the Franc giving a little ‘Franc funk’ and the blackcurrant, mint and pencil-shaving notes and structure from the Cabernet Sauvignon. Promising much on the nose, and delivering in spades on the palate. Plum, black olive, pepper and cassis. Super ripe, broad and powerful on the palate. Excellent structure – a dense concentration of fruit, hearty but delicious tannin profile, and a frisky acidity. More herbal and savoury notes emerge in deeper layers as the wine opens up. Youthful and intense – will need decanting if drinking young, or cellar this for a few years to get its full potential. A lengthy, polished and drying finish. 94pts
Trinity Hill The Gimblett 2020
Hi David,
Opened a bottle of the 2020 last night. Used to buy this blend a bit back in the day, but it wasn’t overly memorable so moved on. This was a real return to form, some bottle age had allowed excellent integration. It seems a much more interesting wine when it has a higher than usual amount of Cabernet franc.
Cheers John
Cab Franc certainly does add a little something to a Hawke’s Bay blend.
Thanks for the comment John. You’ll see from my review (three years ago) that I thought it had potential. Will look up another bottle and see how it is doing!