Outstanding Mills Reef wines mark 2013 as special vintage
Outstanding Mills Reef wines mark 2013 as special vintage
The phenomenal international
award-winning run of Mills Reef Winery’s red wines is
stamping 2013 as an exceptional vintage.
Chief winemaker
and Mills Reef director Tim Preston was already labelling
his 2013 harvest as “the vintage of a lifetime” after
earlier international successes for the winery’s
hand-crafted, Bordeaux-style reds. Three new accolades have
left him searching for words.
The latest is from one of
the world’s top wine magazines Decanter that is
sold in 92 countries. Its judges awarded Mills Reef Elspeth
Trust Vineyard Syrah 2013 “Outstanding” status and its
Elspeth Syrah 2013 a “Highly
Recommended”.
“Clearly, this is an exceptional
vintage – 2013 is the year to put wine away to age,
especially the Gimblett Gravels reds from the Hawke’s
Bay,” says Tim Preston. “Our prestige Elspeth reds will
cellar for twenty to thirty years.”
“Remarkably, we
are winning international accolades for wines that are still
affordable by New Zealand standards. Some of the wines we
bettered are much dearer.”
Earlier, another Mills Reef
wine took one of only two golds awarded out of 174 Merlots
entered at the 46th International Wine and Spirits
Competition in England. The judges enthused about Mills Reef
Elspeth Merlot 2013, stating: “Deep ruby hue; intense
blackberry and plum aromas, exotic Indian spice, elegant use
of wood; concentrated flavours on the palate balanced by
good freshness and ample but supple tannins, lingering
finish. Complex and layered. Lovely wine, New World fruit
with Old World restraint”.
The winning wines were made
in Tauranga from grapes grown at the Mills Reef vineyard in
the Gimblett Gravels Winegrowing District within Hawkes
Bay.
“It is hugely exciting that New Zealand reds are
doing so well internationally,” says Tim Preston. “There
is a growing tide of recognition among Masters of Wine and
Master Sommeliers, with Gimblett Gravels reds in particular
being singled out for praise as ‘world-class’.”
For
example, notable New Zealand Master of Wine Bob Campbell has
just named his top 12 New Zealand Bordeaux-style wines and
included four Mills Reef wines –¬ all from the 2013
vintage. He lists Elspeth Cabernet Sauvignon, Elspeth Trust
Cabernet Sauvignon, Elspeth Merlot and Elspeth Cabernet
Merlot, all of which are on sale locally.
And highly respected San Francisco-based wine expert Dan Berger is singing the praises of Gimblett Gravels reds, having visited the Hawke’s Bay region on several occasions. In his widely read electronic newsletter he rates all 2013 vintage Gimblett Gravels reds tasted as “Exceptional”, and singles out Mills Reef Elspeth Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 for special mention.
"This latest string of successes and individual endorsements is like winning a World Cup three times in a row,” says Tim Preston. “We are finding it hard to express our increasing delight as each amazing success is followed by another.”
He says Mills Reef has
now won more than 650 medals and 27 trophies, including
Champion Trophy at this year’s New Zealand Royal Easter
Show Wine Awards for their 2013 Elspeth Cabernet Sauvignon,
and has been New Zealand Winemaker of the Year
twice.
Wines are marked out of 100 based on colour, aroma
intensity and characteristics, texture and length of the
taste. A score above 94 is Gold standard and any comment,
such as “Outstanding” by Decanter magazine, is an
additional accolade.
While Tim Preston’s “vintage of
a lifetime” tag for 2013 is proving to be particularly
accurate, the coming season is mirroring 2013 so far,
raising expectations for another special vintage in
2016.
“Weather wise, 2013 had a cool flowering period
– not cold, but cool enough to regulate for perfect fruit
set – followed by an long, warm, even- growing season. We
have been told we can expect a similar weather pattern this
summer to what we had in 2013.”
ENDS