Esk Valley Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon Malbec 2006

Warren Barton (The Dominion Post) Top 100 Wines

Made from a blend of grapes from several vineyards in the Hawke's Bays' Gimblett Gravels region, this fragrant, finely structured, beautifully proportioned wine can not be recommended highly enough for those looking for affordable alternatives to quality Bordeaux. A wonderful example of the modern "claret style", this delicious wine is all about fineness and structure, subtle oak treatment, and great depth of fruit without any hints of over-ripeness.

"The 2006 is very merlot-dominant (76%) and shows a lushness and red fruitedness common to the variety. Aromatic and gently fleshy, this wine offers very attractive drinking now, elegant and medium-bodied  with a savoury spiciness to its finish."  Emma Jenkins

"This was an exceptional red wine harvest. The summer was hot and dry which made for good colour and tannin development in our grapes. After a period of rain in late March, harvest was conducted under clear skies, with excellent quality fruit. This is a dense and deeply coloured wine. It is a full bodied and rich Hawkes Bay blend exhibiting a bouquet of plums, red fruits, dried herbs and hints of oak. The palate is soft and round, easy to enjoy as a young wine, but well ripened tannins suggest excellent ageing potential."  Esk Valley Estate

Expert reviews

"When looking back over my notes from this Esk Valley tasting, the words I see repeated throughout the wines are 'restraint', 'elegance' and 'balance'. It was difficult to see a weak link in the lineup, and previous tastings of the wines bolster that impression. Gordon Russell (winemaker) acknowledges Esk Valley generally has more fruit than needed, allowing them to select the best for their own needs with owner, Villa Maria, finding a home for the rest. No doubt Esk also benefits from the experience and capital of  Villa Maria, as the care and attention to detail and dedication to quality have long been a hallmark of all in the Villa Maria stable. The combination of the skill and obvious passion of Gordon, the quality and care of their vineyards and a hands-off approach to winemaking has given a superb range of wines, displaying character, elegance and individuality. This is winery with plenty of history, and an exciting future too.

Bordeaux varietals are what Hawke's Bay - and Esk Valley - have made their name from, and we started with two vintages of the very good value Esk Valley Black Label Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2006 is very merlot-dominant (76%) and shows a lushness and red fruitedness common to the variety. Aromatic and gently fleshy, this wine offers very attractive drinking now, elegant and medium-bodied  with a savoury spiciness to its finish."  Emma Jenkins, Independent Wine Monthly

"If the more expensive reserve version of this wine is one of the best examples of the style in the country, then this is one of the most keenly priced. It's substantial, loaded with flavour and personality and can happily be spared till next Christmas if necessary."  Warren Barton, The Dominion Post – Top 100 Wines

Awards

Warren Barton (The Dominion Post) Top 100 Wines

About the winery

Esk Valley Gimblett Gravels Vineyard

Esk Valley Estate is a winery in New Zealand's Hawke's Bay region. Originally called Glenvale, the winery and cellars were built at Bay View in 1933 by Robert Bird, although the site had been occupied by local Maori for at least 500 years before that. Fortified wines were the mainstay of Glenvale's production until the late 1970s when the Esk Valley brand was created for a range of premium table wines.

Over-production in the New Zealand wine industry in the early 1980s led to devastating price wars and the winery went into receivership. Sir George Fistonich, the founder of Villa Maria, purchased the historic Glenvale Winery in 1986 from the Bird Family.

Gordon Russell joined Esk Valley in 1990 as assistant winemaker and was appointed Chief Winemaker three years later. He broke boundaries by introducing new grape varieties and new wine styles to Hawke's Bay and this, together with his hands-off approach to winemaking, was largely responsible for Esk Valley forging a reputation for innovative and quality wine.

The top red is 'The Terraces', a single vineyard blend of Malbec, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, is widely renowned as one of New Zealand’s greatest reds. It is sourced from extremely low yielding vines planted on a steep, terraced, north-facing hillside flanking the winery. The vineyard was orinally planted in the 1940s by Robert Bird and was then re-established with its current plantings in 1988. According to Steve Sykes, Cellar Manager at Esk Valley Estate for more than twenty years, "The first year I was here we re-established The Terraces vineyard. It was a huge job digging out the pine and preparing the ground, planting the vines and nurturing them through to the first vintage. But that first vintage just shone out above all else, it won awards and we realized what we had here."

The winery sources fruit from other areas in Hawkes Bay apart from their vineyards at Bay View (Esk Valley sub-region), including the world-renowned Gimblett Gravels. In addition, they source  Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling and Pinot Noir from Marlborough. Aside from 'The Terraces', their portfolio includes two other tiers, the Esk Valley and the Winemakers Reserve ranges.

In 2018, all of the winery's Hawke's Bay operations (together with Villa Maria's) were moved to a newly-built winery in the Gimblett Gravels, neighbouring the former Te Awa winery site. In 2019, the much loved Esk Valley Cellar Shop in Bay View Hawke's Bay also relocated to the Gimblett Gravels site. "Although it’s a time of change, we continue to craft wines of unique personality using traditional methods and the local knowledge accumulated over many years. Our aim is to capture the best of every vintage," said winemaker Gordon Russell. "Esk Valley wines have been at the forefront of New Zealand wine since our first vintage in 1988. Renowned for our Merlot based Gimblett Gravels reds and The Terraces, Esk Valley has also been an industry pioneer bottling New Zealand’s first Verdelho in 2002, first Malbec in 1999 and pioneering the now well-loved Hawke's Bay Merlot, Malbec blend. We still hold dear to our artisanal values including fermenting all our premium reds in concrete. This is what makes Esk Valley wines unique and special," he continued.

Indevin Group, a Marlborough-based New Zealand-owned wine company, acquired Villa Maria and Esk Valley Estate in 2021. The Terraces vineyard (by far the group's most expensive vineyard site to run due to the steep terracing) and the neighbouring Esk Valley winery site were sold back to the former owner Sir George Fistonich. Gordon Russell, Esk Valley’s senior winemaker of 30 years, stepped down from his role in July 2023.

Esk Valley Winery and Hawke's Bay sub-regions