BLOOD CREEK 8 2014

Notes: 100% Waiheke coastal single site “The 8 Vineyard". Cabernet blend of all 8 varieties grown at Frenchman’s Hill. This is a nod to the great First Growth blends of Bordeaux where Luc studied. Blend cabernet sauvignon, 36%, merlot 17%, petit verdot 15.5%,cabernet franc 8.5%, tannat 8.5%, syrah 8%, viognier 3.5%, kolor 3%, 16 months 100% new french barriques. Unfined and minimally filtered. This wine is dedicated to my beloved uncle Alfred (Freddy) Desbonnets RIP.

Cellar at 13-15 ºC. Drink: 2020 – 2035+.

Alcohol: 14.0%

Varietal: Blend

Region: Waiheke Island, New Zealand

Accolades: 95/100 – Bob Campbell MW
“A blend of cabernet sauvignon 36%, merlot 17%, petit verdot 15.5%, cabernet franc 8.5%, tannat 8.5%, syrah 8%, viognier 3.5% and kolor 3%. Dense red with dark plum, berry, new leather, violets, anise, spice and nutty oak flavours. High energy wine with a thread of acidity adding vibrancy. An intriguing wine with obvious potential.” – Bob Campbell MW

5 stars - Michael Cooper. The fragrant, highly concentrated 2014 vintage (5*) is a blend of eight varieties – principally Cabernet Sauvignon (36 per cent), Merlot (17 per cent) and Petit Verdot (15 per cent), plus smaller portions of Cabernet Franc, Tannat, Syrah, Viognier and Koler. Matured for 16 months in all-new French oak barriques, it is dark, fresh and full-bodied, with dense, ripe blackcurrant, plum and spice flavours, good tannin backbone, and impressive power through the palate. Still very youthful, it should be at its best from 2021 onwards.

94/100 Cameron Douglas MS. Youthful fruit and wood centric bouquet with (quite) intense aromas of fresh blackberry, blue fruits and dark plums, tobacco and dark violets, clove and toasty wood aromas. Complex and youthful, toasty and rich. Vibrant, toasty, woody and fruit centric on the palate. Very rich in fruit flavours of dark berries, blackberry and black currant, sweet tobacco and cigar box. Tannins are a mix of firm and youthful, dusty and soft - so still melding into and with the rest of the palate flavours. Acidity is medium+ keeping the palate crisp and alive. There’s no mistaking the warming effect of the alcohol, but this is more than matched by the core of fruit and overall power of the wine. Well made, youthful still, decant for service remains a food wine. Best drinking from 2021 through 2029.