"Composed of 78% Merlot and 22% Cabernet Franc, the 2018 Chambrun is deep garnet-purple in color with warm blackberries, black cherry pie and blueberry compote with touches of fried herbs and cedar. The palate is medium to full-bodied with bags of vibrant fruit and a firm frame of rounded tannins, finishing long and refreshing."

Rating (90 - 92)+

Reviewed by Lisa Perrotti-Brown

VINEYARDS Parcels of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon were hand-picked from selected sites on the  gravel soils of the old Ngaruroro River, and old vine Merlot from the Bridge Pa region.  Bridge Pa Triangle soils feature fine silt loam over red metal gravels, while the gravel sites protected by Roys Hill, feature gravel over fine silt. These sites are free draining and low in fertility, resulting in struggling vines producing fruit of great concentration. Low yielding vines, open canopy management, managed irrigation and Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand farmed were common to all sites. Bridge Pa Merlot delivers ripe, dark plums which compliments the spicy brighter fruits from the gravels. Cabernet thrives on gravel sites and contributes structure, acidity and fragrant berry fruit notes. 

WINEMAKING Batches of hand harvested fruit was chilled overnight before processing the following day. Chilled bunches were hand sorted and de-stemmed, and whole berries were transferred to open fermenters with some foot stomping. Whole bunches were also incorporated in some of the Merlot fermenters. The berries were cold soaked before fermentation, with pumping over twice per day then pressed to barriques at the  end of fermentation. The Merlot and Cabernet matured for 21 months in new and  seasoned French oak barriques. Blended in December 2019 and bottled in January  2020, the final blend is approximately 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon. 

SENSORY An elegant Merlot Cabernet blend which exhibits lifted aromatics of fragrant  berry fruits, sweet French oak, and underlying lavender and thyme. Complex and  textural, seamless tannins harmoniously support red and black fruits, earthiness,  and spice. Tautly poised to develop beautifully with bottle age.

This is one of the better known Cru Bourgeois, located near the vineyards of Margaux and owned since 1999 by the Cordier family, proprietors, too, of Château Talbot. They lavish the same care on the Sénéjac wines as they do on those from their Cru Classé Pauillac property, the bottles of which fetch a great deal more. The wine is a blend of both Cabernets, Merlot and Petit Verdot, matured in oak barriques, a luxurious one third of which are new, for 12-15 months, depending on the vintage. With lovely ripeness and balance and fine tannins, it’s a classic Haut-Médoc. Decant an hour or so beforehand and enjoy with rare roast lamb, beef or duck.

Chateau Blason d'Issan Margaux is the second wine of the renowned Château d'Issan, a classified growth in Bordeaux's Margaux appellation, known for its classic elegance, balance, and typical Margaux perfume. The 2016 vintage, a blend of primarily Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, offers rich dark fruit, floral notes, cedar spice, and silky tannins, showing great potential for aging while also being enjoyable no

With very free draining alluvial gravels, the Gimblett Vineyard soil type is the lowest vigour, lowest nutrient soil in Hawkes Bay, restricting vine vigour and resulting in small crops of intensely flavoured fruit. This vineyard typically produces dark fruited, firmly structured wines that complement the Redstone Vineyard, bringing a more brooding undertone to the nose and enhancing drive and definition on the palate.  Situated on the warm soils of the renowned Bridge Pa Triangle Winegrowing District, our Redstone Vineyard is only a three-minute drive from the Gimblett Vineyard, but produces a distinctively different wine. The soils here are known as red metals, and typically produce ripe, supple and aromatic wines, bringing flesh and perfume to a blend.

Wine Advocate April 2016: Lightly honeyed but with a slightly floral air. Medium body, fresh acidity, some spice, orange peel, and apricot. Subtle finish. Attractive, emerging energy that will develop beautifully with age.
91-93 pts. Recommended for 2018-2038.

Deeply coloured appearance. The aroma is beautifully perfumed and fragrant with cassis, ripe blackcurrant, white truffle and dark chocolate. The palate has ripe, black fruits, black olives with the sweetness of the Cabernet Franc showing through. Classically structured, this is a tightly bound, elegant yet powerful red wine with tremendous power on the finish.

FIRST MADE IN 1982, AWATEA CONTINUES TO REPRESENT THE BEST OF THE CLASSIC HAWKE’S BAY CABERNET/MERLOT BLEND. FLORAL AROMAS WITH INTENSE BLACKBERRY, CURRANT AND DARK PLUM FLAVOURS LEAD TO A RICH, SUPPLE PALATE WITH A SUSTAINED FINISH. 

ORIGIN Awatea takes its name from the historic ship SS Awatea (a Maori word meaning ‘Eye of the Dawn’) that sailed the Auckland – Sydney – Wellington route in the late 1930s. The Awatea was requisitioned as troop transport in WWII and was sunk off Algeria in 1942. 

VINEYARDS The grapes for Awatea Cabernets/Merlot ’23 were hand harvested from Te Mata Estate’s Hawke’s Bay vineyards between 4 and 18 April 2023. 

WINEMAKING The separate parcels of grapes were destemmed before a traditional warm-plunged fermentation and extended maceration on skins. The resulting wines were then run to new and seasoned French oak barrels for 15 months. Throughout this time, they were regularly topped and racked. The separate wines were blended in October 2023, then returned to barrel for their second winter. The finished wine was then egg white fined and bottled in November 2024. The final blend is 33% cabernet sauvignon, 52% merlot and 15% cabernet franc.

Merlot, Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon combine in this outstanding full bodied dry and powerful blend, which is made from hand picked grapes grown in the Gimblett Gravels Winegrowing District’s Cornerstone and Ngakirikiri vineyards. 

The grapes were fermented with wild yeasts, which provides diverse depth and flavours to the wine, which has flavour notes of black olives, dried herbs and black currant notes. The wine was aged in French oak for 20 months and bottled unfiltered, which accentuates its gritty, smooth, powerful cedar notes.

Here is a wine for the long term cellar... Or decant and enjoy now.

A fruit forward wine with just the right amount of tannic structure, backed up with spice and some firm toasty wood flavours in the background.

Grape 50% Merlot, 50% Cabernet Sauvignon

Food match pepper steak, duck salad, game dishes"

14% ABV