Mills Reef Elspeth Cabernet Merlot 2007

Trophy, Best Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot/Cabernet Blend – 2009 Air New Zealand Wine Awards

Elspeth is the top tier of wines produced by Mills Reef and has included many great wines over the years. The fruit for this distinguished red, a classic blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (70%) and Merlot (30%), comes off low-yielding vines from the Mere Road Vineyard, situated in the renowned Gimblett Gravels region of Hawke's Bay.

The judges at the Air New Zealand Wine Awards described the Trophy winning wine as, "The aristocrat of the red wine styles. Lots of lifted violets, maraschino cherries, grilled cocoa and Monte Cristo on the nose, all class and charisma. Rich yet taut entry on the palate, what you see on the nose delivers on the palate. Classy tannins leave a very fine warm stone, minerally note to finish that exposes its sense of place." 

The trophy win brought huge satisfaction to the Mills Reef winemaking team, their winning wine having been judged against wines from New Zealand's most respected Bordeaux-red producers, across three outstanding vintages from 2005 to 2007. "It's a tremendous endorsement for Mills Reef, the finalist wines were all extremely impressive and worthy contenders", said Mills Reef chief winemaker Tim Preston.

"The 2007 Elspeth Cabernet Merlot is deeply coloured, offering layers of blackcurrant, leather, cigar box, caramel and cedar aromas, leading onto a complex and full bodied palate of concentrated berry and blackcurrant flavours, rich dark chocolate, mocha, an array of cinnamon and clove spices, finely integrated with quality oak and harmonious tannins, with a lengthy silky dry finish. Already delicious, it will continue to flourish with cellaring."  Mills Reef

Mills Reef Winery story (click on image to play video)

Expert reviews

"A dense and very serious blended red with a solid core of ripe berry fruit and cedar flavours plus a backbone of firm, ripe tannins. Layers of flavour reveal a wine of considerable power and complexity. Excellent cellaring potential."  Bob Campbell MW, The Real Review – 95 points

"The aristocrat of the red wine styles. Lots of lifted violets, maraschino cherries, grilled cocoa and Monte Cristo on the nose, all class and charisma. Rich yet taut entry on the palate, what you see on the nose delivers on the palate. Classy tannins leave a very fine warm stone, minerally note to finish that exposes its sense of place."  Air New Zealand Wine Awards 2009

Awards

Trophy, Best Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot/Cabernet Blend – 2009 Air New Zealand Wine Awards
Elite Gold Medal - 2009 Air New Zealand Wine Awards 

About the winery

 The winemaking team at Mills Reef 

Mills Reef Winery was founded by the Preston family with a vision to produce high quality wines from Hawke's Bay. The recognition that stunning Bordeaux-varietal red wines could be grown in a special inland area within Hawke's Bay, known today as Gimblett Gravels, was central to the success of Mills Reef.

The inaugural vintage was in 1989, the year they first leased the Mere Road vineyard in the Gimblett Gravels. It was very much a family affair in the early days, all helping where necessary, including the winemaking role which was taken up by father-and-son team Paddy and Tim Preston. 

In 1992 the family purchased a site on the outskirts of Tauranga, some 300 miles northwest of Hawke's Bay, and designed and built a winery that was officially opened in 1995. Fruit from the Hawke's Bay vineyards are harvested and transported to Tauranga for processing at the winery.

At that time, Paul Dawick also joined Mills Reef to share winemaking responsibilities with Tim Preston. They now share over 50 years of combined winemaking experience, with a particular specialist knowledge of the Hawke's Bay region. Under their tenure, Mills Reef has achieved national and international acclaim and has twice been awarded the title "Champion NZ Winemaker". 

The Vineyards

The Mere Road vineyard, the 'jewel in the crown', is the flagship vineyard. It is a 16 hectare block painstakingly managed for low yields to produce the very best grapes for the 'Elspeth' and 'Reserve' wines. It is sited in the renowned Gimblett Gravels and, as the vineyard name suggests, it is found on Mere Road at the westerly river end.

The Mere Road Vineyard was initially leased by Mills Reef in 1989. They subsequently purchased a 10 hectare portion in 1993, followed three years later by acquisition of the remaining 4 hectare block. The entire 16 hectare vineyard was then progressively replanted from 1993 through to 2001 with modern clones of varieties suited to the area; Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc and Syrah.

The recognition that stunning Bordeaux-varietal red wines could be grown in this special inland area within Hawke's Bay was central to the success of Mills Reef. It wasn't until 2001 that an 800 hectare area that included this vineyard was officially proclaimed as Gimblett Gravels.

The warm climate and deep stony free-draining soils are ideal conditions for growing Bordeaux varietals and Syrah. The viticulture is intensive with vines planted only a metre apart and grape yields kept incredibly low to ensure only the very best quality at harvest time. The wines from this special vineyard have garnered a long and fine award winning reputation - trophies, gold medals and five star awards. The vineyard is also rated by leading NZ wine critic Michael Cooper as one of New Zealands 'notable vineyards', an endorsement granted only after many years of producing consistently excellent wines.

In addition to the Mere Road Vineyard, Mills Reef also draws grapes from four other vineyards in the Hawke's Bay area. Tasman Vineyard, also in the Gimblett Gravels, is a two-hectare plot planted with merlot for their Estate and Reserve labels. The Trust Vineyard in the Gimblett Gravels is planted with Syrah (80%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (20%). The Sandy Road Vineyard is a coastal-influenced vineyard in the Meeanne district that is planted predominantly with Chardonnay. The Mangatahi  Vineyards are in the Ruahine foothills and their free-draining alluvial soils are planted to Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc.

Mills Reef Today

Mills Reef sold their Tauranga winery and relocated in 2020 to Leveret Estate, about five kilometres south of Katikati, and the winery has been rebranded as Leveret & Mills Reef Winery. Mills Reef director Tim Preston said, "We explored many site options, but the opportunity to team up with Leveret and create a Bay Of Plenty 'wine destination hub' certainly stood out as the preferred option. We have a lot of loyal followers here in Tauranga, so it’s great to be able to stay in the Bay of Plenty. The move will also give us access to some new vineyards and we look forward to exploring those options."