Leveret & Mills Reef Releases Two “Vintages of a Lifetime” in the Prestigious Arthur Edmund Range
The Arthur Edmund range is the most lauded and exclusive red wine in the award-winning Leveret & Mills Reef portfolio and stands alongside the iconic Coniglio. So, it’s with great excitement that their Chief Winemaker, who has controlled every aspect of its production, announces the release of the Arthur Edmund Gimblett Gravels Cabernet Merlot 2020 and Arthur Edmund Gimblett Gravels Syrah 2020.
These prestigious wines are limited releases with only a few hundred bottles, each labelled and individually numbered. They are available to order and purchase on August 29, 2022, at $350 NZ RRP for both varietals.
“This is only our second release under this label. The previous vintage before this was in 2013,” explains Chief Winemaker, Paul Dawick. “That’s because it is only made when Mother Nature does exactly what every winemaker wants her to do; provide us with constant hot, dry weather with minimal rainfall.”
Each grape that goes into these exclusive wines is hand harvested from the famed Gimblett Gravels vineyards in Hawke’s Bay. This area is known for its arid, stony soils and warm climate, which produces world-class, full-bodied red wines. One wine critic went as far as to name this location a “sacred site”. The 2020 growing season in this area is widely acclaimed as a “vintage of perfection”. Mother Nature delivered a long, warm, even climate, without heat waves or cold spells. The result? An exceptional vintage.
Mills Reef Arthur Edmund Gimblett Gravels Syrah 2020
This Syrah is a symphony of luscious boysenberry and blueberry fruits alongside subtle pepper spice and fragrant rose petals. The palate is finely tuned with balance, texture, power and grace, with velvety tannins and intense fruit. These reach a harmonious crescendo of refined oak and a sustained liquorice finale.
Mills Reef Arthur Edmund Gimblett Gravels Cabernet Merlot 2020
Comprised of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and 50% Merlot, this wine is powerful and beguiling. The harmonious blend of two varieties reveals lusciously intense blackberry and cassis fruit layered with mocha, toffee and subtle earthy notes. It has a lingering fine oak seasoning with seamlessly integrated fine, plush tannins culminating in a wonderfully rich spicy crescendo.
“These rare wines are the result of great vineyard sites paired with ideally-suited grape varieties, low-yielding vines, climatically exceptional growing seasons, and diligent hand-harvesting and bunch selection, with minimal winemaker intervention,” explains Dawick. “Both wines are unfined and unfiltered, thus expressing the full terroir characters from the vineyards. They are a true expression of purity.”
With the small number of bottles produced it becomes a wine of rarity. Wine connoisseurs are advised to contact Leveret & Mills Reef to secure their shipment ahead of its release or be ready to purchase it online or in person at their Cellar Door in Katikati, in the heart of the Bay of Plenty from August 12, 2022.