One of our warmest, sunniest wine regions, Hawke’s Bay, is acclaimed for weighty, rich reds crafted from varieties traditionally associated with Bordeaux: merlot, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc and malbec. The latest star is syrah (the Aussies call it shiraz), a classic grape of the Rhône Valley now yielding highly distinctive, peppery, flavour-crammed reds in Hawke’s Bay.
Merlot, Cabernets, Malbec & Blends
Alpha Domus The Aviator 2019
★★★★★
This classy, cabernet sauvignon-based blend was estate-grown in the Bridge Pā Triangle. Matured for two years in French oak barrels, it is mouthfilling and savoury, with ripe blackcurrant, red berry and spice flavours, showing impressive density and structure, leathery and nutty complexities and a long finish. $85
Askerne Hawke’s Bay Cabernet Franc 2021
★★★★½
A refined, estate-grown red that was matured for a year in French oak barriques. Ageworthy, it is full-coloured, with mouthfilling body, generous blackcurrant, red berry and spice flavours, and ripe, supple tannins. $30
Babich Irongate Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot/Cabernet Franc 2018
★★★★★
Estate-grown in the Irongate Vineyard in the Gimblett Gravels, this elegant, complex, firmly structured red is made for cellaring. Deep and still moderately youthful in colour, it is mouthfilling, savoury and well-structured, with strong, ripe blackcurrant, plum and spice flavours seasoned with nutty oak, and excellent vigour, complexity and backbone. $37-$45
Black Cottage Hawke’s Bay Merlot 2022
★★★★
Offering good value, this Gimblett Gravels red was French oak-aged for nine months. Full-coloured, it is a mouthfilling, ageworthy red, with very good depth of ripe, red-berry, plum and spice flavours, considerable complexity and a firm finish. $18-$21
Church Road McDonald Series Hawke’s Bay Merlot 2021
★★★★½
This great-value red is deeply coloured, mouthfilling and sweet-fruited. It has strong, almost lush, dark berry and plum flavours, finely integrated oak, supple tannins and a finely textured, very harmonious finish. Well worth cellaring. $27-$30
Craggy Range Sophia 2021
★★★★★
Craggy Range’s premier merlot-based red was hand-harvested from vines averaging 20 years old and aged for 17 months in French oak barriques. Weighty and fleshy, it has blackcurrant, plum and spice flavours, a hint of dark chocolate, excellent complexity and supple tannins. A lovely young wine, it is savoury, harmonious and distinctly Bordeaux-like. $140
Čuvar Iris Collection Hawke’s Bay Merlot/Cabernet Franc 2022
★★★★½
Already highly enjoyable, this merlot-based blend was hand-picked in the Gimblett Gravels and matured in French oak barriques. Deeply coloured, it is full-bodied, with strong, ripe plum and red-berry flavours, gentle spicy notes, savoury characters adding complexity, and smooth tannins. An excellent example of the drink-young style. $34
Elephant Hill Le Phant Rouge 2021
★★★★½
Drinking well in its youth, this is a full-coloured blend of six grape varieties – mostly merlot (40%), syrah (36%) and tempranillo (14%). Mouthfilling, vibrantly fruity and supple, it is a generous, very harmonious red, with strong, plummy, spicy flavours and savoury notes adding complexity. $26
Esk Valley Artisanal Collection Malbec/Cabernet Franc/Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon 2021
★★★★½
Bargain-priced, this characterful, full-bodied red was grown in the Gimblett Gravels. Deeply coloured, with fresh, spicy aromas, it is weighty, with concentrated blackcurrant, plum and spice flavours, vibrant and very youthful. Well worth cellaring. (14.5% alc/vol) $25
Hãhã Hawke’s Bay Merlot 2022
★★★½
Offering easy drinking, this is a bright ruby, medium-to-full-bodied red. It has good depth of fresh red-berry, plum and spice flavours showing a touch of complexity, and supple tannins. $18
Mills Reef Reserve Gimblett Gravels Cabernet/Merlot 2020
★★★★
This 3:1 blend of cabernet sauvignon and merlot was matured in French oak hogsheads. Full-coloured, it is mouthfilling, fresh and energetic, with strong red-berry, plum and spice flavours, savoury notes adding complexity, lively acidity and firm tannins. $23-$25
Mission Jewelstone Antoine 2021
★★★★★
Named after pioneer winemaker Father Antoine Gavin, this refined blend of merlot, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc was matured for a year in French oak casks. Deeply coloured, it is fragrant and very finely balanced, with strong, ripe, red-berry and blackcurrant flavours, seasoned with nutty oak, and supple tannins. An elegant, ageworthy red, it’s well worth cellaring to 2026+. $50
Paritua Stone Paddock Hawke’s Bay Merlot 2020
★★★★½
Offering fine value, this highly attractive, youthful red was estate-grown in the Bridge Pā Triangle and barrel-aged for a year. Full-coloured and fragrant, it is mouthfilling and smooth, with concentrated, ripe berry, plum and spice flavours, gently seasoned with oak, considerable complexity, and excellent richness and harmony. $24
Radburnd Merlot/Cabernet 2020
★★★★★
This classy wine was hand-picked from mature vines in the Bridge Pā Triangle and Gimblett Gravels and matured for 20 months in French oak barriques. A savoury, distinctly Bordeaux-like red, it has generous, ripe blackcurrant, plum and spice flavours, seasoned with nutty oak, refined tannins, and a silky-textured, lingering finish. $85
Redmetal Vineyards Basket Press Bridge Pā Triangle Merlot/Cabernet Franc 2021
★★★★½
This is a very ripe-tasting, full-coloured, sturdy red. Weighty and sweet-fruited, it has strong, fresh plum, red-berry and spice flavours, with ripe, supple tannins that give it lots of drink-young appeal. (14.5% alc/vol) $45
Saint Clair James Sinclair Gimblett Gravels Hawke’s Bay Malbec 2021
★★★★½
Offering good value, this dark, purple-flushed red was matured for 10 months in French oak casks. Mouthfilling, vibrantly fruity and supple, it is highly approachable, with generous, ripe blackcurrant and plum flavours, fresh acidity and a very smooth finish. $28
Shed Five Thirty Estate Woolshed Red 2021
★★★★½
This generous blend of merlot, malbec and cabernet sauvignon delivers fine value. Full-coloured, it is mouthfilling and sweet-fruited, with good concentration of berry, plum and spice flavours, a hint of liquorice, and ripe, supple tannins. $27
Smith & Sheth Cru Omahu Cantera 2021
★★★★★
Full of personality, this lush blend of cabernet sauvignon, tempranillo (the star grape of Rioja, in Spain) and cabernet franc is named after the Spanish word for quarry – cantera. Grown in the Gimblett Gravels and matured in French and American oak casks, it is deeply coloured and fragrant. Weighty, complex and savoury, it has highly concentrated blackcurrant, red-berry and spice flavours, with refined tannins and a lasting finish. (14.5% alc/vol) $80
Squawking Magpie The Nest Gimblett Gravels Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon/Malbec 2021
★★★★★
This full-coloured, purple-flushed red is a single-vineyard blend, harvested from 21-year-old vines and matured for 20 months in French oak casks. Still very youthful and vigorous, it is sturdy and savoury, with strong, ripe red-berry, blackcurrant and spice flavours, finely integrated oak, fresh acidity and a well-structured finish. $60
Te Mata Awatea Hawke’s Bay Cabernets/Merlot 2022
★★★★★
Positioned below its Coleraine stablemate in Te Mata’s hierarchy of claret-style reds, Awatea is grown at Havelock North and in the Bullnose Vineyard, inland from Hastings. This graceful red offers great value. Deeply coloured, it is mouthfilling, with rich plum and blackcurrant flavours, seasoned with nutty oak, good tannin backbone and a long, finely structured, very harmonious finish. $45
Tironui Hawke’s Bay Merlot/Malbec 2022
★★★★½
This attractive red was estate-grown and hand-picked in a Taradale hillside vineyard. Merlot-based, with a splash of malbec, it is full-coloured, mouthfilling and supple, with generous, ripe, berryish, distinctly spicy flavours, a subtle oak influence, good complexity, supple tannins and a very smooth finish. $40
Vidal Reserve Hawke’s Bay Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon 2020
★★★★½
Matured for 18 months in French oak barrels, this great-value red was grown in the Gimblett Gravels. Full of youthful energy, it has deep, bright colour. Mouthfilling, with generous red-berry and blackcurrant flavours, finely integrated oak, spicy and nutty notes adding complexity and refined tannins, it’s well worth cellaring. A steal at $16-$20.
Syrah
Aces & Arrows Craig’s Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2021
★★★★½
Offering fine value, this generous, youthful, syrah-based red has some malbec and viognier in the blend. Dark and purple-flushed, it has a highly fragrant, spicy bouquet. Mouthfilling and sweet-fruited, it has rich blackcurrant and black-pepper flavours, savoury notes adding complexity, supple tannins and a harmonious, persistent finish. $25
Brookfields Back Block Syrah 2022
★★★★
This sharply priced red was grown at Ohiti Estate – “north-facing and very hot” – and aged in French oak barriques. Full-coloured, it is mouthfilling and supple, with generous red-berry, plum and spice flavours, gentle black-pepper notes, fresh acidity and savoury notes adding complexity. $20
Hopesgrove Single Vineyard Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2019
★★★★½
This highly refined, still youthful red was estate-grown at Pakipaki, southwest of Havelock North. Deep ruby, it has a floral, spicy bouquet. Elegant and supple, it has strong, vibrant, plummy, spicy flavours, a hint of tamarillo, fresh acidity, good complexity and a long, harmonious finish. $42
La Collina Syrah 2021
★★★★★
La Collina (“the Hill”) is grown at Bilancia’s steep, early-ripening site on the northern slopes of Roys Hill, overlooking the Gimblett Gravels, and matured for 20-24 months in principally new French oak barriques. This deeply coloured syrah reveals lovely complexity and texture. Still very youthful, it is mouthfilling, with deep blackcurrant, spice and plum flavours, a hint of liquorice, good tannin backbone and a lasting, savoury finish. A top candidate for cellaring. $160
Pask Declaration Gimblett Gravels Syrah 2021
★★★★★
This refined, youthful, deep ruby red was matured in seasoned French oak casks. Already delicious, it is full-bodied and finely textured, with concentrated, ripe red-berry, plum and spice flavours, hints of tamarillo and black pepper, fresh acidity and a savoury, harmonious finish. $50
Sacred Hill Deerstalkers Syrah 2021
★★★★★
A classy, single-vineyard red that was hand-harvested and aged for 18 months in French oak barrels. Deeply coloured, it is mouthfilling, vibrant and supple, with concentrated, ripe plum and spice flavours and a finely textured finish. Attractively scented, it should be at its best from 2026. $60
Trinity Hill Gimblett Gravels Syrah 2021
★★★★★
This elegant red was estate-grown and matured in large, oval French oak barrels. It has a deep, purple-flushed colour and a floral, peppery bouquet. A distinctive wine, mouthfilling, concentrated, savoury and supple, it has deep, ripe, plummy, spicy flavours in a vividly varietal style, with excellent harmony and length. $40
Villa Maria Cellar Selection Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2021
★★★★
Still unfolding, this Gimblett Gravels red was aged for a year in French oak barriques. Full-coloured, it is floral, vibrantly fruity and supple, with mouthfilling body, a restrained oak influence and fresh plum, spice and black-pepper flavours, showing clearcut varietal characters. $25
Other Reds
Maison Noire Single Vineyard Freisa 2021
★★★★½
From an Italian grape that is a close relative of nebbiolo (think Barolo), this characterful red was grown at Havelock North and aged for eight months in seasoned oak puncheons. Full-coloured with a fragrant bouquet, it is mouthfilling, with strong red-berry and spice flavours showing good complexity, lively acidity and lots of youthful vigour. Good value. $25
Stables Reserve Ngatarawa Hawke’s Bay Pinot Noir 2021
★★★½
Priced sharply, this oak-aged red is bright ruby, mouthfilling and supple, with very good depth of ripe cherry, plum and spice flavours, showing some savoury complexity and a smooth finish. $18 l
Note: all wines are 13-14% alc/vol, unless stated otherwise.
