Mills Reef Reserve Gimblett Gravels Merlot Malbec 2022
Mills Reef Reserve Gimblett Gravels Merlot Malbec is generously indulgent and velvety red from Hawke's Bay's renowned Gimblett Gravels, bringing together ripe blackberry, juicy dark plum and boysenberry with fragrant violets and a lovely touch of oak spice. The palate is generous and smooth, with layers of dark berries, chocolate and subtle earthy notes complemented by hints of leather and warm spice. Fine, silky tannins and fresh acidity provide lovely balance, leading to a long, satisfying finish. Blending the plush fruit of Merlot with the depth and structure of Malbec, this is an inviting, generously flavoured red with plenty of character. A fantastic match for roast duck, slow-cooked lamb, grilled steak or venison with plum sauce.
What the winery says:
Crafted from Merlot (64%) and Malbec (36%) grown in Hawke's Bay's acclaimed Gimblett Gravels, this wine benefited from the warm, settled conditions of the 2022 growing season. The grapes were harvested in March, gently crushed and cold-soaked for three days before fermentation in stainless steel tanks, with careful cap management to develop colour, flavour and fine tannins. Following a short period of extended skin contact, the wine spent 11 months maturing in oak barrels, including 25% new French oak. The winery describes blackberry, plum, blueberry and violet aromas, with gentle oak spice, an earthy undertone and a beautifully smooth, silky palate.
What the experts say:
Cameron Douglas MS, 93/100 (2022 Vintage)
“Great colour and appearance with a core of dark berries and plums, barrel spices and dry stone earthy enticements. A decent weight with textures from tannins and acidity leading into flavours of dark berries, chocolate, barrels spices, some and salivating acid line. In short, delicious. A great wine to open today alongside food or cellar till 2026 and enjoy through 2032.”
Stephen Wong MW, The Real Review, 90/100 (2022 Vintage)
“Generous and showy with a plush decadence, this is a sweet-fruited and very ripe wine which is drinkable now and over the mid-term. A lot of sweet oak. For the more old-fashioned drinker”
