For this lighter style, the Malbec colour is quite a dark purple. The nose is grainy, brambly with hints of violets and tamarillo growing into notes of blackberry and blueberry pie. Some hints of all spice and confection notes also persist. The palate has a lightly spicy attack with a juicy, supple acidity that drives the mid-palate. The wine finishes short and fresh bringing you back for more. Drink now or over the next 3 years.

Hawke’s Bay lies on the East Coast of the North Island of New Zealand. The region enjoys dry summers with moderate, cool nights. This wine reflects a Malbec grown in the Bridge Pa Appellation on the Heretaunga Plains. The soils are Silty-loam, free draining red metal of mixed alluvial and volcanic origin. The wines tend to reflect more lush fruit and rounder tannins. After a relatively dry spring, the 2019/20 season had relatively average temperatures with limited rainfall. Then we enjoyed a late summer spell of extended warmer temperature and dry weather. This was welcome help to ease picking decisions during the very stressful time during our lockdown period from COVID-19 here throughout New Zealand. It will go down in the books as one of the region’s best ever vintages. There were two clones of Malbec (595 & 1056) grown on 3 different blocks around the Bridge Pa Triangle.

Picked in late March, the fruit picked with very modest sugar levels, ranging from 20.5-22.5 Brix. Most of the fruit was destemmed and only lightly crushed to allow the skins to slowly breakdown during the fermentation. While some fruit was also left as whole bunches to allow for some carbonic maceration. The fruit was then cold macerated for 6 on skins before slowly warming the fermenter and allowing a wild fermentation to kick in. Fermentation lasted 13 days before the wine was then macerated on skins again for an additional 15 days and which also allowed for full malolactic fermentation to take place on skins. The wine was then pressed to tank and settled and again racked off its heavy sediment in early July. As it has become ‘nouveau’ tradition the wine was evaluated and the decision was made to release this wine for the spring as a ‘Nouveau’ Wine and bottled in mid July 2020 and immediately released to the public.

We are working on finding our best Pairing for this beautiful Organic Wine. Also open to some suggestions from you. Get in touch with us with your favourite pairing and we can talk about what we love. Email us at info@naturalliquor.com