2017 Hans Herzog Spirit of Marlborough Merlot Cabernet

Hans Herzog isn’t your typical Marlborough producer. While the region is famous for Sauvignon Blanc, Hans and Therese have quietly carved out a reputation for making serious, age-worthy reds from their organic estate vineyard in Marlborough’s Wairau Valley. The Spirit of Marlborough has always been their flagship Bordeaux blend, made up of almost equal parts of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot, with small amounts of Petit Verdot & Malbec making up the balance.

The 2017 vintage was a cooler, later year, but with meticulous vineyard work and low yields, the fruit came in beautifully balanced. Hand-picked, wild-fermented and aged for over two years in French oak, this wine is built for the long haul. Dark berry fruit, spice, graphite and fine tannins are all part of the picture, and the structure promises years – even decades – of development ahead.

Scarce and highly sought after, this is one of New Zealand’s most iconic red blends, more European in feel than Kiwi, and proof of just how far Marlborough can stretch beyond Sauvignon Blanc.