05 Zepelin Reds
Havelock Hills, Hawkes Bay

Too often I taste wines with the personality and disposition of a quarterback - wines that try and make up a lack of something in sheer brawn. These are something different - think of them as balets: elegant, poised, refined but an untold power - masculine in the very best sense of the word.

Syrah $40


One of the finest HB Syrahs I have tried - particularly under the $40 mark - it had a wild, balsamic vinegar note on the nose, bright plum fruit spice and earth. The most remarkable thing about these wines is the purity of acid - balancing and bringing together fruit and savoury elements as well as giving the wine ageability - At four years old the wine seems like a baby, a coiled spring. Truly stunning.
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Cabernet Merlot $20


I could not believe this was a twenty buck wine - it could easily pass for something twice the price. Bright blackcurrant and black plum fruit with a hint of green capiscum edge, clean acid and structual tannins beginning to soften with a bit of bottle age. Stunning. E - Value


Merlot Cabernet Franc $35


And this is the big brother... more in the plum end of the fruit spectrum but a bit of cassis showing. While the wine has beautiful purity of fruit it is only a minor component of the wine - ferrous red earth, tobacco leaf, a hint of spice and a green cab franc edge play roles as do the massive drying tannins. Its a keeper and a testament to Merlot as a grape as well as the site. E

These are exciting wines - some of the best out of the Hawkes Bay in a long time.