Hawke's Bay Merlot

Hawke's Bay is New Zealand's warmest major wine region and has built its reputation on Bordeaux-style reds, with Merlot as the backbone of that success. The Gimblett Gravels, a stretch of free-draining, stony soil formed by an old riverbed, has become the region's most sought-after site for the variety, giving wines real structure alongside the plush, approachable fruit Merlot is known for elsewhere. Producers here often blend in small amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon or Cabernet Franc, echoing Bordeaux's own approach to the variety. If you'd rather compare against the region's other flagship red, Hawke's Bay Syrah is worth a look. For Merlot more broadly, Merlot covers examples from every region we carry, and Hawke's Bay Wine covers everything else on offer from the region.