Brookfields Highland Hawke’s Bay Merlot 2020 $44 
Clothed in a platinum label with a ribbon of owner/winemaker Peter Robertson’s family tartan, the grapes for this vintage were grown in a tiny vineyard in Mere Road, in the middle of the famed Gimblett Gravels sub-region. 2020 is being touted as the ‘perfect’ vintage for Hawke’s Bay reds and as soon as you sip this merlot you’ll understand why it’s so magical. Incredibly vivid, glossy, magenta-black as it pours into the glass and bursting with blackcurrant intensity, dark cocoa, concentrated plum and blueberry around the edges, it’s layered with suede-like textures in the mid-palate and gently chewy tannins elongate the finish. Stunning stuff.
