"The Terraces"

Esk Valley’s iconic wine, "The Terraces" is an ultra-premium wine that is only produced in outstanding vintage years, and the amount made is always very small.

This steep, Northwest facing vineyard was originally planted in the 1940's and then re-established with its current plantings in 1989.

It occupies approximately 1 hectare and is planted with Malbec, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, which are harvested and fermented together as a true expression of the vineyard.

The soils are complex, containing layers of seashells and limestone, interspersed with clay and volcanic ash. Fertility is quite low, and the vines are thinned to one bunch per shoot and harvested by hand.

This is handcrafted wine and a true vineyard blend, with all harvested fruit being co-fermented in a single open topped fermenter.

After almost two years in new French barriques, “The Terraces” wine is ready for bottling.

"The Terraces" vintage is sold en primeur, a traditional method of selling Burgundy and Bordeaux wine, that enables you to purchase the wine 6 months ahead of its release.

Using this method for "The Terraces" ensures that wine buyers and collecctors are provided with an opportunity to secure a quantity of this exclusive wine.

To register your interest in the next vintage, Contact Us.

Accolades:

Grown on a steep, terraced, north-facing hillside flanking the winery at Bay View, Hawkes Bay, this is a strikingly bold, dark wine with a bottomless depth of blackcurrant, plum and strongly spicy flavour.

Malbec (43 per cent of the vines) and Merlot (35 per cent) are typically the major ingredients, supplemented by Cabernet Franc: the Malbec gives ‘perfume, spice, tannin and brilliant colour’.

Yields in the one hectare vineyard are very low, and the wine is matured for 17 to 22 months in all-new french oak barriques.

Michael Cooper’s 2009 Buyers Guide to New Zealand Wines

"1995... is tear jerking stuff, an amazing wine with complexity... it has heaps of intense fruit to sweep us all into a love affair with it.” “...expect it to be a highlight this decade of wines in New Zealand."

Peter Saunders, New Zealand wine writer.