Beach House Hawkes Bay Cabernet Franc 2024

Beach House Hawke's Bay Cabernet Franc is a dark-fruited, confidently structured red from the Gimblett Gravels, balancing blackcurrant and damson with violet, cedar, dark chocolate and savoury spice. The palate is rich without losing shape, with fine, chalky tannins and a long, persistent finish. Beach House planted its Gimblett Gravels vineyard in the 1990s, and Cabernet Franc is a natural fit for the site's free-draining gravel soils. A smart choice for Cabernet lovers after something a little more aromatic, it will sit beautifully beside rosemary lamb, slow-cooked beef or a well-earned winter dinner.

What the winery says:

Fruit from the Gimblett Gravels was hand-picked on 27 March, then de-stemmed into small open-topped fermenters. The ferments were hand plunged and pumped over to build colour and flavour before pressing to French oak barrels for 10 months. The finished wine shows ruby colour and aromas of damson, violets, dark chocolate, coffee, liquorice and cloves, with a rich, robust palate, firm fruit and oak tannins, dark sweet fruit and a savoury tar note.

What the experts say:

Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, 95/100 and 5 Stars (2024)
“Wonderfully ripe and complex, the wine shows aromas of blackcurrant, thyme, game, and cedar on the nose. The palate is equally appealing, with rich fruit intensity, fine texture, and chalky tannins, making it beautifully structured and harmonious, with a persistent, engaging finish. At its best: now to 2034”