Brookfields Reserve Vintage Hawke’s Bay Cabernet Merlot 2019 $59 
Paired with Thyme Roasted Eye Fillet in dish Magazine Issue 104 2022
“Literally the second I began cooking this excellent eye fillet dish I decided to hurtle around my wine cupboard to find that bottle of Brookfields Reserve Vintage Hawke’s Bay Cabernet Merlot 2019 ($59) I’d been saving. It’s a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc that’s aged in new oak barrels for 1 year. It oozes that classic smoky, earthy, leathery tone that Hawke’s Bay’s aristocrat cabernets share, alongside liquorice, baked prune, blueberry, bouquet garni and graphite which grooves with the tender textures of the beef and the aromatic thyme.”
Decant if you can, then find the glasses with the biggest, most swirlable bowl, because this wine becomes its best self as it warms up and breathes. A hint of espresso adds to its complexity and it’ll cellar comfortably for up to a decade.
