Not the warmest summer on record, but it's been surprisingly dry here over the last few weeks while the rest of the country has been a tad wet. So we can still pull one out of the bag.
If you want ripe fruit, soft tannins and plenty of flavour, try the 2009 Basket Press Merlot/Franc, another ripe and full flavoured beast from a top vintage. It has plenty of dark berry and plum flavours along with a firm tannin backbone and a long, soft finish. This is a cultured beast that will reward some time in the cellar, but is pretty hard to resist now.
The 2011 Rose is looking brilliant. Beautiful colour, ripe red berryfruit with some dried herb savoury notes, and a food-friendly finish make this a great summer drink.
The 2010 Chardonnay continues our style of a fruity, lighter wine that makes a great aperitif or seafood match. It's another food-friendly style, with plenty of fruit and very subtle touches of oak and MLF (the butterscotch thing) to give depth and interest.
The 2010 Merlot/Franc is now available. A continuation of our easy drinking, soft tannin style, with plenty of dark fruit flavours, it has the same drinkability as it's predecessors.
If you take your red wine seriously (or even if you don't), try the Erinview Vineyard Merlot 2007 from Redmetal partners Gary and Diane Simpson's small block also in the Bridge Pa Triangle sub-region of Hawkes Bay. This is a very classy wine with super-ripe, juicy plum and licorice flavours topped off with dark chocolate tannins. Great drinking now or leave it in the cellar for another 4-5 years.
