Babich Irongate Cabernet Merlot Franc 2009
We have been producing Irongate Cabernet Merlot since 1986 and it has evolved into this richly flavoured, balanced and elegant wine. The vines from this now-famous Gimblett Gravels ‘Irongate’ vineyard are selected at pruning and crop levels are closely monitored to ensure excellent flavour concentration in the grapes.
Winemaker Notes
Grapes:
67% Cabernet Sauvignon , 25% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc
Region:
Hawke`s Bay - Gimblett Gravels
Recommended Food:
This wine is a brilliant match for red meats, game and pasta dishes. A perfect partner for casseroled lamb shanks or with Scotch fillet, roasted rare in the piece.
Recommended Cellaring:
4-10 years
Production Notes:
Extensive crop thinning in the vineyard produced select parcels of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc . These grapes were hand picked, individually fermented and hand plunged in open vats before spending an extended time on skin post ferment to aid structural development. The wines were put into new and seasoned French oak and assessed for quality after several months. After 13 months the wine was blended and bottled. A good year for Cabernet Sauvignon it dominates the blend at 68%, (Merlot 23% and Cabernet Franc 9%).
Technical Notes:
Alcohol: 13.5%
TA: 5.6g/l
pH: 3.75
Residual Sugar: 0g/l
Tasting Notes:
Distinctively warm and lifted with sweet dried black Doris plums and ripe blueberries on the nose (characteristic notes from the Irongate vineyard). Leather and nutty cedar add an attractive complexity. The palate exudes red and dark fruits upon entry and is well balanced and harmonious with smooth velvety tannins and a fine texture. Dried herbs are balanced perfectly alongside the rich fruit. Blueberry and cocoa linger on the finish. A classic claret with lovely soft acid and welcoming density.
Awards
5 STARS, 18.5/20 -Raymond Chan, www.raymondchanwinereveiws.co.nz, April 2011
5 STARS -Winestate Magazine, July/August 2011
5 STARS, 93-95 POINTS -Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, June 2011
4 STARS -Bob Campbell, www.bobswinereviews.com, June 2011
5 STARS, TOP TIP -TiZwine.com, September 2011
5 STARS -Michael Cooper, Michael Cooper's Buyer's Guide to New Zealand Wines 2012
93 POINTS -Lisa Perrotti-Brown, eRobertParker.com #197, Oct 2011
Wine Writer Reviews
"This red has a pedigree stretching back to 1985 and is named after the ‘Irongate’ aquifer that runs 25 metres below the soils near the foothills of western Hawke’s Bay. A blend of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot and 8% Cabernet Franc, this was fermented to 13.5% alc., then aged in new and seasoned French oak barrels. Very dark, deep, purple-hued ruby-red, youthful in appearance, this has a tight and intense bouquet of blackcurrants with complex dried herb and savoury earth-mineral notes, along with red floral perfumes. Medium-full bodied, the concentrated flavours of ripe black fruits herbs and earth are framed within a firm, but fine-textured structure which allow the sweet fruit nuances to show. This is an finely constructed and classically elegant red designed for aging 8-10+ years. Serve with all roasted red meats and hard cheeses."
18.5/20
5 STARS
-Raymond Chan, www.raymondchanwinereveiws.co.nz, April 2011
"Stylish, rich and flowing blend of cabernet sauvignon (67%), merlot (25%) and cabernet franc (8%), grown in the Gimblett Gravels. Very elegant wine in the Bordeaux mould, with deep blackcurrant, plum and spice flavours, finely integrated French oak and ripe, supple tannins. Best 2014+."
5 STARS
-Winestate Magazine, July/August 2011
"For a young wine, this shows lovely complexity and superb harmony, displaying dark plum, cassis, spicy oak and a hint of dried herb characters on the nose. The palate is concentrated and elegantly framed, showing excellent mid palate weight and texture, leading to an extremely long finish well supported by fine, polished tannins. The wine is immensely satisfying already, but will be glorious in a few years. At its best: 2014 to 2020."
5 STARS
93-95 POINTS
-Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, June 2011
"A mix of fruit (dark berry and plum) with savoury (licorice, leather and oak) flavours offers appeal in this elegant and still fairly closed red."
4 STARS
-Bob Campbell MW, www.bobswinereviews.com, June 2011
"Opulent nose with dried herb, mint and cassis elements. Plums and chocolate are at the forefront of the palate which is rich in texture and has undercurrents of spice and forest floor. Big, classy wine with huge depth and a silky style."
5 STARS
TOP TIP
-TiZwine.com, September 2011
"Elegant Gimblett Gravels red, cabernet sauvignon-based (67%). Deeply coloured, with a perfumed, minty, nutty bouquet. Concentrated palate, lithe and supple, with excellent richness, complexity and drinkability."
-Winestate Magazine, Sep/Oct 2011
"Aromas of oak, spice and wood. Quite dry and restrained with loads of oak showing at this time. The fruit concentration carries it however and with time this wine is sure to develop greater complexity. Youthful and very cassisy, mid-bodied, and well proportioned with strapping tannins. Give it time."
SHORTLIST
-WineNZ Magazine, Spring 2011
"Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2009 Irongate Cabernet / Merlot / Franc has pronounced aromas of ripe plums, pencil shavings, warm cassis, crushed blackberries and cloves with a touch of cedar. Medium bodied with crisp acid and a medium-firm level of very fine grained tannins, it offers a good concentration of fruit and spice flavors with a long cedar and clove-laced finish. Drink it 2012 to 2020+."
93 POINTS
-Lisa Perrotti-Brown, eRobertParker.com #197, Oct 2011
"Grown in the Irongate Vineyard in Gimblett Road, Hawke’s Bay and matured in French oak barriques (30 per cent new), this elegant, complex, firmly structured red is designed for cellaring. The 2009 vintage is a sturdy, rich and flowing blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (67 per cent), Merlot (25 per cent) and Cabernet Franc (8 per cent). A very stylish wine in the Bordeaux mould, it has deep blackcurrant, plum and spice flavours, finely integrated French oak and ripe, supple tannins."
5 STARS
-Michael Cooper, Michael Cooper's Buyer's Guide to New Zealand Wines 2012
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