GRAPE ESCAPE
Whether you’re into adventure, sampling local cuisine or enjoying the exquisite wines of one of the best regions in the world, Hawke’s Bay is sure to satisfy.
Ilove visiting Hawke’s Bay. I hope you will, too – there’s plenty to see and do. There are a few surfing spots to discover and beach walks along the coastlines of Napier and Waimarama Beach, which are also excellent spots to see the sunrise.
If you’re into running, biking or pace walking, you can explore the relatively flat landscape of the region. I spoke with one local who regularly runs up the road to Te Mata Peak – not just for exercise but to take in the amazing 360-degree panorama and the entire eastern coastline up to Ahuriri Bay, Māhia and Portland Island.
“GIMBLETT GRAVELS IS A SOUGHT AFTER PLACE TO GROW WINE.”
Finding a decent coffee from six in the morning is easy. The dining scene is modern and varied and local produce is featured in many of the menus.
If wine tasting is on your list, then you have come to the right place. I suggest you start in Te Awanga, stop in at Clearview Estate and Elephant Hill, then work your way inland through Havelock North, Hastings, Bridge Pa and into Taradale. Hawke’s Bay south as well as Esk Valley in the north are also excellent wine stops.
Perhaps one of the most intriguing parts of the entire wine region is the Gimblett Gravels, which has become one of the most soughtafter locations to grow wine. New Zealand vineyards are not classified by soil type and aspect, like some of the famous appellations in France, but if we were ever to establish a system that includes soil and aspect as well as geography, the Gimblett Gravels may well be one of our very first grand cru, or great site appellations.
The 12 wines here are all 2019s, all from the Gimblett Gravels and from the Gimblett Gravels Winegrowers Association’s annual release. gimblettgravels.com
Elephant Hill Hieronymus 2019
Very complex, youthful and desirable bouquet. Flavours of violets, dark plum and blackberry, sweet chocolate cigar, brown sugar and dark spices, baked nut and a clay stone earthy quality. Fantastic mouthfeel and texture. Best drinking from 2023 through 2035+. RRP from $125.
Esk Valley Gimblett Gravels Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec 2019
An immediately engaging bouquet with aromas of dark berries and spices, dark spices of oak and a stony soil quality. Flavours of red berries and plum, fine tannins and acidity layer in mouthfeel. Best from mid to late 2022 to 2029. RRP $19.99.
Esk Valley Great Dirt River Gravel Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon 2019
Complex and youthful with a core of red berry fruits with highlights of cocoa and baking spices of barrel with vanilla and sweet clove. A perfect combination of flavour and mouthfeel. Best enjoyed from late 2022 through 2030. RRP from $70.
Mission Estate Jewelstone Antoine 2019
Complex, enticing bouquet with a core of ripe dark red berry fruits, blackberry and blackcurrant, sweet tobacco, iron sand and smoky barrel. Complex textures unfold quickly as the wine touches the palate with firm, ripe tannins from barrel. Excellent from 2023 through 2030+. RRP from $50.
Pask Declaration Merlot 2019
Dark red plum, violet and sweet spices of new barrel with soft brown sugar and vanilla scents. Delicious on the palate with a salty salivating texture. Firm tannins, oak and acidity set the foundation with flavours of plum and berries for contrast. Drink from late 2022 through 2030. RRP from $50.
Squawking Magpie The Nest 2019
Enticing bouquet led by scents of roasted dark plums and blackberry, sweet toasty barrel with clove and vanilla pod. A core of ripe red berry flavours and spicy, toasty barrel are emphasised by the abundance of fine chalky tannins. Delicious, youthful, fresh and complex. RRP from $49.95.
Trinity Hill
The Gimblett 2019
Dark berries and hay, tobacco and gravelly soils, a core of concentration and power with new oak, violets and red berries. Silky textured with a core of fruit contrasted by polished tannins and salivating acidity. A lengthy finish, lovely mouthfeel and length. Excellent from 2024 through 2035. RRP from $39.99.
Craggy Range Le Sol 2019
Fabulous bouquet of power and richness, a core of varietal black and red fruit scents. No mistaking the layer of toasty barrel scents with sweet clove, vanilla and cedar. A youthful firm texture from an abundance of wood and fruit tannins. Impressive mouthfeel and drive. Best from late 2022 to 2030+. RRP from $150.
Craggy Range Syrah 2019
Aromas and flavours of dark berries and toasty barrel, violet and iron, stone soils and sweet black fruit. Salivating, fruity, firm and dry on the palate with flavours and textures delivered all at once, fine tannins have a chalky texture and acidity delivers the backbone of structure. Delicious, fresh and lengthy. RRP from $39.95.
Mission Estate Jewelstone Syrah 2019
An engaging, enticing bouquet with aromas of raspberry and plum, layers of complexity from sweet baking spices of oak, a mix of silty sandy soil scents, some violet and pepper notes. Intensity on the palate followed by a core of fruit flavours and firm line of acidity. RRP from $50.
Smith & Sheth CRU Heretaunga Syrah 2019
A calm and even bouquet with a softness and completeness led by aromas of red berries and toasty barrel. Baking spice scents combine with a silty dry stone earth quality adding depth. Expressive on the palate with tension and poise from tannins and acidity. RRP from $40.
Squawking Magpie Stoned Crow Syrah 2019
Exuberant, youthful, varietal and floral bouquet. Aromas of boysenberry and blackcurrant, dark raspberry and sweet spicy scents of oak. Peppery moments along with a dry spice and earthy qualities melt together in complexity. Best from late 2022 through 2030+. RRP from $49.95.