Esk Valley Tempranillo 2021

From Tempranillo grown on a single 0.6 hectare block in the Te Awa Vineyard, in the Gimblett Gravels. An early-ripening, quite rare, variety in New Zealand that is well suited to those stony soils. A rich black-burgundy colour in the glass. In the style of a traditional Rioja, there are dense oaky notes on the nose (it used new American oak barriques), with incense and tar offset by a ripe, spicy tumble of dark berries and liquorice. Full-bodied and firmly concentrated, you’re met by heroic tannins – voluptuous and sinewy, then swooping into a seam of roasted spice, vanilla and balsam. All this underlined with generous, sleek fruit flavours – saturating and mouthfilling. One of NZ’s biggest wines? 92pts