Hans Herzog Spirit of Marlborough 2016

Accolades:
96/100 – James Suckling
95/100 – Bob Campbell MW
5 stars – Michael Cooper (2015 vintage)

“A powerful and layered red with blackcurrant, black olive and stone. Some iron, too. Full-bodied with polished yet chewy tannins and a long finish. The oyster-shell and lead-pencil character is beautiful. Equal blend of merlot, cabernet franc and cabernet sauvignon.” – James Suckling

“An equal blend of merlot, cabernet franc and cabernet sauvignon. A little bottle age has produced a mellow texture and good flavour integration. Quite a mellow, savoury red with red and black fruit flavours together with hedgerow, charcuterie and spicy oak. An elegant wine with cellaring potential.” – Bob Campbell MW

Tasting Notes: The 2016 vintage shows finesse and detail, precision and complexity, full of harmony, power and grace. Darkest crimson with black core. So intense, the fruit seems to engulf you. Ripe but not overblown on the nose, all damson blackberry. The palate is powerful but beautifully balanced, with juicy acidity and fine tannins tempering the glossy black fruit. Dark, pure and overwhelming in its purity. Remarkably balanced – juicy acidity with fine-grained tannin are persistent and abundant making for a mouth watering length and freshness. Expansive, heady and rich, an elegant blockbuster that warrants bottle age. Tasted October 2021

Winemaking Notes: “Perfectly healthy, destemmed grapes allowed for a long cold soak to extract the superb flavours and beneficial antioxidants of the skins. I then let the must naturally progress through a long wild yeast fermentation and extended post maceration. After gentle pressing, the young wine was transferred into partly new French Barriques where it underwent the second natural malolactic fermentation. The minimal oxygen exchange over a long 30 months of maturation in the same barrels made all the difference. The wine and wood had time to marry together to form a richer, more complex and textured wine, able to age for many years in the bottle. We like you to enjoy this stately flagship wine at its full potential, very much like a “Grand Cru” Pomerol with many years of bottle ageing. And so we did, under perfect condition in our barrel hall for a further 3 years but without the hefty price tag! No fining. No filtration. Natural goodness.” – Hans Herzog

Certification: Organic

Alcohol Volume: 14.5%

Variety: Bordeaux blend

Region: Marlborough, New Zealand