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Mills Reef Elspeth One Gimblett Gravels 2020

$150.00 inc GST

The name “Elspeth One” signifies the triumphant union of four classic French varieties into one truly outstanding experience. Fruit was selected from vineyards that encapsulate the very essence of Gimblett Gravels winegrowing with innovative winemaking.

This superior wine, produced only in exceptional years, is a judicious fusion of Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Crafted from ultra-premium grapes selected from the famed Gimblett Gravels. Full bodied, with a rich complexity of blackcurrant, brambly fruit, violets, cassis, and layers of chocolate, spicy oak and liquorice, all nestled on a bed of refined tannins. It's a distinguished silky smooth wine.

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Additional information

Weight 1 kg
Amount

Single Bottle, Case (6 Bottles)

Wine Review

This blend of Syrah, Merlot and the Cabernets delivers a bouquet of complexity, ripe purple and blue fruits, a core of youth and power and enticing sweetness of barrel and wood smoke. Black currant and cassis, milk chocolate and blackberry, toasted nut and wood smoke qualities. Delicious on the palate with a powerful core of dark skinned fruits from plums to blackberries then cacao and baking spices of barrel. Tannins are abundant, firm and textured and in combination with acidity delivers a youthful squeeze and promise of development if cellared. A lovely example with ripeness and texture, great drinking from 2025 through 2035.
95 points.

Cameron Douglas MS

A blend of syrah, cabernet sauvignon, merlot and cabernet franc all from the Gimblett Gravels subregion. Deep, inky wine with cassis, black berry, plum, liquorice, vanilla and spicy oak flavours. A core of sweet fruit makes the wine accessible now but it has great cellaring potential.
96 points.

Bob Campbell

Food Pairings

Vineyards and Winemaking

Powerful, yet refined, this Hawkes Bay red is a stellar varietal blend of barrel selected Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc.

The grapes were handpicked with care between 14 March and 17 April 2020, at an average of 22.0° Brix. On arrival at the winery they were destemmed, with some whole berry components, and the musts cold soaked for up to 5 days for enhanced colour and flavour extraction. Fermentations took place in open top tanks and allowed to start with a spontaneous indigenous fermentation, before being initiated with yeasts specially selected to highlight individual varietal expression.

Post-ferment, the wines were macerated while still on skins for an average of 14 days, when the winemaker deemed that the ideal tannin structure had been achieved. The wines were pressed then sent to premium French barrels, of which 47% was new wood. After 18 months, only barrels showing outstanding character and full varietal expression were designated Elspeth One, and blended on 19 October 2021. Left un-fined and unfiltered to preserve the natural flavours, bottling took place on 2 November 2021 under cork closure.