De La Terre Reserve Hawkes Bay Tannat 2016

Description

"Big, dense and surprisingly accessible wine for a notoriously tannic variety that's not helped by its grippy-sounding name. Intense Black Doris plum, dark berry, old leather and rustic baked earth and 'forest floor' flavours. A core of sweet fruit balances ripe, chunky tannins. An heroic wine with great potential" Bob Campbell, Master of Wine, Real Review, Jun 2019

"From heavy clay soils with no limestone. Refined with nice density and supple black cherry and blackberry fruit. Structured but not too tannic. Expressive with nice texture" Jamie Goode, Nov 2018

Rich and vibrant hue of real intensity. It is said that in the Madiran region of France, Tannat has the nickname ‘la folle noir’ – literally ‘the crazy black’ grape. Totally unique fruit profile with blackberry/blueberry notes and an underlying earthiness and a seam of French oak. At present, the wine displays a youthful vibrancy. With bottle age, the primary fruit gives way to earthiness and increased complexity. A burst of black cherry fruit in the attack with a fresh and lively mid-palate. The tannins support rather than dominate the palate here. Acid has been managed to enhance the wines vibrancy and fruit.

de la terre Winery is owned and operated by a small family team, Tony and Kaye Prichard and Gracie, the winery dog and self-appointed Welcoming Committee. The name ‘de la terre’, literally meaning ‘of the earth,’ is a reference to both the vineyard soils and the earth brick construction used in the winery and cellar door. Tony and Kaye handcrafted the business from scratch, driven by their shared passion to create and produce quality products and to provide a personal touch in everything they do - offering something a little different from the norm. Producing small volumes of high-quality wines with emphasis on texture, elegance and balance.