Esk Valley 2018 Gimblett Gravels Merlot Cabernet Malbec

Esk Valley was originally founded in the 1930s in Hawkes Bay by Englishman Robert Bird and was known as Glenvale Winery and Cellars. In the 1980s the winery was purchased by Sir George Fistonich who established Villa Maria two decades earlier. Although part of the Villa Maria group, the winery exists as its own separate entity with dedicated winemaker Gordon Russell. Today the winery is known for its deep and rich reds from Bordeaux blends, exploiting the free draining gravelly soils of the Gimblett riverbed, a fast flowing river which dried up around 150 years ago, leaving behind terraces ideally suited for Bordeaux black grape varieties.