All Wine
>
Tantalus Estate Reserve
Évoque
Merlot / Malbec / Cabernets
Waiheke Island, New Zealand
Vintages:
2014
Price: $90 per bottle
Winemaking
Fermented in stainless steel open-top fermenters, with indigenous and selected yeasts. Extended maceration for extraction. Punched down up to 4 times per day. Gentle basket pressing and transferred into mostly new French oak for 12 months months maturation. 4 rackings during élevage. No fining.
Food pairing:
Scotch fillet with pan jus, Confit duck legs, Truffle oil pasta and mushrooms, Braised short ribs, Hard cheese
Vintage report
Warm and dry conditions in early spring gave a healthy fruit-set. Late December rains replenished much needed moisture and were followed by a period of sunny dry weather. The 2014 growing season delivered 19% below average rainfall, allowing selective harvests at optimum ripeness and delivering wines with complexity and depth of flavour.
Technical analysis:
Region: Waiheke Island
Grapes: Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc
Harvest: 100% hand harvest
Dates: 2nd April - 24th April 2014
Brix: 23.5-25
Production: 35hl/ha. Single vineyard
Alcohol: 14%
Residual Sugar: <1g/l
pH: 3.57
TA: 6.3g/l
Awards:
Bob Campbell: 5 Stars - 96 Points
Raymond Chan: 5 Stars - 18.5/20
Sam Kim: 5 Stars - 93 Points
Robert Parkers Wine Advocate: 90 points
Michael Cooper: 4.5 Stars
London IWC: Silver
2015
Price: $140 per bottle
Winemaking
Fermented in stainless steel open-top fermenters, with indigenous and selected yeasts. Extended maceration for extraction. Punched down up to 4 times per day. Gentle basket pressing and transferred into mostly new French oak for 12 months months maturation. 4 rackings during élevage. No fining.
Food pairing:
Scotch fillet with pan jus, Confit duck legs, Truffle oil pasta and mushrooms, Braised short ribs, Hard cheese
Vintage report
A wet winter gave way to a calm, dry spring and resultant great fruit-set. This enabled us to scupt the vines to our design, every bunch manicured swinging freely in its own bit of premium real estate.
Temperatures started off a bit cool but by December were well above average. January was one of the hottest and driest on record with 25 days above 30C and only 12mm of rain for the month. This set the scene for small berries with great concentration. February saw these extremes return to more normal levels with the warm dry conditions continuing through the all important ripening period becoming more autumn like around the 10th April. The resulting wines are as expected, very ripe, deeply concentrated and exquisitely balanced.
Technical analysis:
Alcohol: 14%
Residual Sugar: <1g/l
pH: 3.43
TA: 6.9g/l
Awards:
Robert Parkers Wine Advocate: 2015
London IWC: Bronze Medal
Cameron Douglas: 93 points
Michael Cooper 2018: 5 star
Decanter Asia wine awards: Silver 90 points
Raymond Chan: 5 stars (18.5+/20)
2016
Price: $95 per bottle
Winemaking
Fermented in stainless steel open-top fermenters, with indigenous and selected yeasts. Extended maceration for extraction. Punched down up to 4 times per day. Air pulses. Gentle basket pressing and transferred into mostly new French oak for 12 months months maturation. 4 rackings during élevage. No fining.
Food pairing:
Scotch fillet with pan jus, Confit duck legs, Truffle oil pasta and mushrooms, Braised short ribs, Hard cheese
Vintage report
A dry winter made pruning enjoyable and as such we were finished in record time. Late August brought with it a wet spell which replenished ground moisture prior to the season. Budburst was nearly 2 weeks ahead of normal.
A settled spring brought with it a good fruit set, the odd Southwesterly kept the crop loads in check. Dry warm weather through to mid January set us up with some very healthy fruit. The season did a bit of an about face in February and turned wetter and cooler than we are used to.
The majority of the work had already been done as we guided the crop to harvest by strategically hanging out individual parcels to gain optimum ripeness. The resultant wines are rich and plush with great presence and length.
Technical analysis:
Region: Waiheke Island
Grapes: Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec
Harvest: 100% hand harvest
Brix: 22.3-24
Production: 35hl/ha. Single vineyard
Alcohol: 13.5%
Residual Sugar: <1g/
pH: 3.51
TA: 6.5g/l
Awards:
Bob Campbell : 95 Points
Raymond Chan: 95 Points
Sam Kim: 95 Points
2017
Price: $95 per bottle
Winemaking
Fermented in stainless steel open-top fermenters with indigenous and selected yeasts. Punched down
and air-pulsed up to four times per day, followed by an extended maceration. Gently basket pressed
and transferred into mostly new French oak for twelve months maturation. Three rackings during
élevage. No fining
Food pairing:
Roast quail with brown butter and cherry mostarda, wild mushroom tart, filet mignon with sauce
Bordelaise, Havarti and Fontina cheeses.
Vintage report
An early spring with warmer than average temperatures brought us a very even bud burst and good
fruit set. A series of northerly storms brought above average rainfall and high humidity, creating plenty
of challenges in the vineyards, however the overall heat summation was well above our yearly average
providing ripe and concentrated fruit.
Technical analysis:
Region: Waiheke Island
Grapes: Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc
Alcohol: 13%
Residual Sugar: <1g/l
pH: 3.59
TA: 6.6g/l
2018
Price: $95 per bottle
Winemaking
The berries were gently split to increase the surface of skins in contact with the juice. Separated in small parcels, cold soaked and fermented in stainless vessels and concrete eggs with indigenous and selected yeasts and bacteria, to carefully control temperature and bouquet development. The wine was then macerated until an equilibrium was achieved and then gently pressed. The élevage was brilliant in French oak barrels for eighteen months. The finished wine was bottled under premium cork without fining, to enhance mouthfeel while promising ageing potential.
Food pairing:
Scotch fillet with Roquefort butter, Slow-roasted Turkish lamb leg with pomegranate molasses, Pan-seared gnocchi with brown butter and sage, Roasted brussels sprouts with raisins and capers, Grana Padano and Manchego cheeses.
Vintage report
A warm settled spring provided the backdrop for a very hot and dry summer, setting us up for another promising vintage. Twenty-four days over 30 degrees celsius during the growing season, and a maximum average temperature of 28.6 through December and January gave us the heat summation to advance ripening nicely. Veraison was very compressed, and passed through in around two weeks instead of the usual four. February brought rain, but due to the constant and meticulous work of our vineyard team the fruit was in great shape. Continuous rounds of canopy detailing kept the fruit hanging freely and quick drying. All of this work paid off as March brought drier conditions and harvest approached. Selectively picking when the fruit reached optimum condition and many small batch ferments allowed individual attention and precision in the winery. The resultant wines, like the vintage, are filled with tension and poise. Supple and long, they will age well and deliver an ever-evolving experience over many years.
Technical analysis:
Region: Waiheke Island
Grapes: Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc
Alcohol: 13%
Residual Sugar: <1g/l
pH: 3.55
TA: 6.4g/l