The Wine
The Alluviale red Bordeaux blend is created from grapes grown in the Gimblett Gravels Winegrowing District. The Gimblett Road wine growing area sits on an alluvial fan which has evolved over thousands of years. Over time, the Ngaruroro River regularly flooded the Hawkes Bay area, depositing small amounts of gravel each time. The grapes for Alluviale come from these ancient riverbeds of stoney gravel which were permanently exposed when the river changed its course in 1867.
The unique mix of microclimate, fast-draining stoney soils, rigorous pruning, crop thinning and careful irrigation management ensures fruit of extraordinary intensity.
Picked by hand, the grape clusters for Alluviale are transported in small bins to avoid any fruit being prematurely crushed under its own weight. The clusters are then gently destemmed and any raisins, damaged fruit or stem remnants are removed. Only the best intact fruit survives the selection process and enters the fermenters.
The exact composition of the blend changes year to year, and is entirely determined by the quality of the fruit that particular vintage. The result is a wine of remarkable purity, body and balance.
Note: our 2005, 2004 and 2003 releases have sold out.
Tasting Notes - 2006 Vintage
(Note: Click here for 2005, 2004 and 2003 vintage tasting notes)
Grape Varieties: Merlot 85%, Cabernet Franc 15%
Region: 100% Gimblett Road vineyards in the Gimblett Gravels Winegrowing District
Oak maturation: 16 months in 90% new and 10% one year old French oak barriques
Color: Bright and inky deep purple hue
Bouquet: Concentrated & slightly spicy, with berry, black currant and cherry fruit aromas.
Intensely fragrant, with hints of mint, cedary French oak and berry fruit bouquet with tobacco/cigar box characteristics.
Palate: Complex, lingering, ripe cherry flavours with excellent length and balance. The wine has a deep, fresh berry fruit flavor typical of Gimblett Road Cabernet. The spicy, smokey oak is well integrated with long, fine tannins on the finish.
General: Intense cherry and berry flavors, integrated oak with a long intense finish. Firm tannins and ripe fruit means that this wine can confidently be cellared for 5 to 7 years. 1260 cases of six produced.
Technical Notes: 13.9% alc./vol. pH: 3.53 TA: 5.58 g/l
Serve: At room temperature, 14 – 16 degrees, with full flavoured foods, especially red meats, pastas
and game.
Click here to download a 2006 Alluviale information sheet including these tasting notes
Review for 2005 Alluviale release
Reviewed by Geoff Kelly, November 2006 in a blind tasting of 21 French, US and NZ wines
2005 (Blake Family Vineyard) Alluviale 18 ½ +
Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand: 13.5%; $27 [ cork; DFB; Me 43%, CS 43, CF 14; French oak; second wine of Blake Family Vineyard; www.alluviale.com ]
Ruby, carmine and velvet, about halfway in depth, a great colour. Initially opened, the oak shows a little, but decanted, the bouquet emphasises merlot, superb violets, dark roses florals and dark cassis, magnificent. Below is dark plums-in-the-sun fruit. Palate is gorgeous, perfect physiological maturity of the fruit, great depth of cassis and bottled dark plums berry, subtle oak. This is a beautifully pure, precisely varietal, remarkable merlot / cabernet, of similar quality to the 2004 Craggy Range Merlot Gimblett Gravels I was praising extravagantly only six months ago. Little did I think a challenger to that wine (in that price bracket) would be along so soon. If this is an harbinger of what The Blake Family Vineyard management plans to achieve in New Zealand, there will be a need to get on the mailing list early.
Cellar 5 - 15 years.
To read a comprehensive article covering the entire tasting of 21 wines, including earlier Alluviale releases, please click here. Reproduced with kind permission of Geoff Kelly, www.geoffkellywinereviews.co.nz
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About the label design:
The Alluviale label artwork is an interpretation of the aerial view presented by the braided river channels of the Ngaruroro, the river meandering alongside the Gimblett Gravels vineyards.
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