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Redmetal Vineyards

Redmetal Vineyards are located on the south-western edge of the Heretaunga Plains, near Hawkes Bay, a long established wine region, on the east coast of New Zealands' North Island. The name Redmetal is derived from the soils, which comprise a thin layer of silt loam lying over a red gravel that was once an ancient riverbed. These soils, which provide excellent drainage and to which the quality of the locally produced wines are attributed, are known locally as 'red metals'.

The 7 ha of vines are predominantly Merlot, with some Cabernet Franc & Sauvignon; Merlot ripens a few weeks earlier than the Cabernets, as anyone who follows the Bordeaux harvests knows, so the thinking was that this variety would be well suited to the Hawkes Bay mesoclimate. The vines are pruned and green harvested to achieve suitably low yields, with leaf thinning to improve ripening. They are protected from cool weather by nearby mountain ranges to the south, and are sheltered from the sea breezes which come in off the coast several miles away. Rainfall is generally sparse, and the summer temperatures can be very hot.

The portfolio of wines that results is led by The Merlot, and includes two blends - one basket-pressed - and a deeply coloured, structured rosé. The Redmetal Vineyards wines are available in the UK through Hellion Wines, run by Jim Ledwith. Jim specialises in New Zealand and can be contacted on 07765 472263. (22/11/05)

Contact details:
Address: 2006 Maraekakaho Road, RD1, Hastings
Telephone: +64 (0) 6 879 6567
Fax: +64 (0) 6 879 6717
Internet: www.redmetalvineyards.co.nz

Redmetal Vineyards - Tasting Notes

Tasted in July 2006. Click to locate stockists:

Redmetal Vineyards Merlot Cabernet Franc (Hawkes Bay) 2004: Bottled under a twin-top cork. A fairly dense wine with a vivacious cherry red hue. More ready to immediately please on the nose than the basket pressed cuvée, which took a little while to open up, showing some perfumed, smoky plum alongside a little cherry, sweet tobacco and a good presence of stony minerals as well. Nice, relaxed body on entry, showing a firmer structure through the midpalate, but with appealing freshness and balance. Lovely fruit flavours here and through onto the finish. Has a grippy undercurrent, just breaking the surface on the finish, that makes this good with food, but a warm, caressing texture that makes it easy to drink solo as well. Very nice style indeed. For drinking now or short-term cellaring. From a Hellion Wine New Zealand tasting. 16+/20

Redmetal Vineyards Basket Pressed Merlot Cabernet Franc (Hawkes Bay) 2004: This is in fact 95% Merlot, with just a 5% dollop of Cabernet Franc. The thing that appeals to me about this wine is, as with the 2003 tasted last year, the absolute restraint evident. There is an overarching minerality which seeps into every aspect of the wine, not quite dominating the nose which, after being initially rather tightly wound, relaxes after an hour or two in decanter to reveal fine plum, tobacco, chocolate and red cherry fruit with a little note of Dundee cake. The palate is quite firmly structured, although with a rounded, almost plump and almost seamless supporting texture. There are soft tannins, which coat the mouth on the endpalate, and a lovely, ripe extract. My only negative comment is that there is a quickly fading finish, but overall this wine is quite fine for drinking now, and shows clear potential for the cellar. From a Hellion Wine New Zealand tasting. 17+/20

Tasted in November 2005:

Redmetal Vineyards Rosé 2004: A really deep rosé hue here, vibrant and pink. Sweet canned strawberry fruit on the nose, with fresh blackberry leaf and a confected buttercream aroma. Very full bodied, quite firm, with good, piercing blackberry and nettle flavours. There's a creamy, vanilla essence character to it as well, building on the finish, and also a little tannin giving a grippy, masculine mouthfeel. This is no lily-livered rosé; this is big, flavoursome and yet fresh. Good. 15/20

Redmetal Vineyards Merlot Cabernet Franc 2003: Merlot 65%, Cabernet Franc 29%, Cabernet Sauvignon 6%. A decent colour, although no great depth of hue. Sweet, slightly confected canned strawberry fruit on the nose, with a green, leafy, tobacco and peppercorn edge. Medium bodied, moderately sweet, slightly plummy fruit. Softly structured, with an oily character and chalky tannins. A little mineral character. This makes for decent drinking now and in the next year or two. 15/20

Redmetal Vineyards Basket Pressed Merlot Cabernet Franc 2002: Merlot 95%, Cabernet Franc 5%. A deeper and much more appealing colour here. Sweet black fruit on the nose, plummy, chocolatey. Still showing a fine tannic backbone which gives structure to the palate, and which is carried through to the finish. Nutty fruit, nicely extracted, and what oak I spotted last time seems now to have been fully absorbed. No particular green notes either. This is very good, a mouth-filling, grippy style which would do short-term cellaring well. Retails at just a few quid more; this is definitely worth trading up to from the straight Merlot-Franc. Garners an extra half point. 16.5+/20

Tasted in September 2004:

Redmetal Vineyards Basket Pressed Merlot Cabernet Franc 2002: Also includes Cabernet Sauvignon reflecting the mix in the vineyard. A moderate density and a vibrant, youthful red hue fading just a little at the rim. Good plummy nose, with chocolate coated dark fruits but a fresh vibrancy. Still a little oak showing too, although quite subtly. Creamy, rounded, black fruits on entry, spicy oak and some fresh, peppery acidity cutting broadly across the palate. Ripe tannins underpin the wealth of fruit, showing only on the finish. There's a nervous edge of green leaf and tobacco reflecting the Cab Franc, which I like. Will do well in the cellar for up to a decade. Very good. From a Hellion Wine New Zealand tasting. 16+/20