Medium to full, ripe but fresh, fine-grained tannin
Ageing
5–15 years
Serving
16–18 °C
On the free-draining Gimblett Gravels — an old riverbed of stony soil — and the warm slopes of New Zealand's east coast, Hawke's Bay makes the country's finest Bordeaux-style reds, the counterpoint to the aromatic whites that made New Zealand famous. Merlot leads a Cabernet blend into ripe, cedary, structured wines with a cool-climate freshness.
Sunny and maritime, Hawke's Bay also makes fine Chardonnay and a peppery, elegant Syrah. Long-established by New Zealand standards, it is where the country proves it can make serious, ageworthy red as convincingly as Sauvignon Blanc.