This week we feature some delicious wines for summer drinking from New Zealand’s Esk Valley. Plus a couple of the very best Cabernet Sauvignon blends from New Zealand and Australia.

Founded in the 1930s and today owned by Villa Maria, Esk Valley is a boutique winery in Hawke’s Bay. Due to limited production quantities the wines are not regularly reviewed but their pedigree is exceptional. Long term chief winemaker Gordon Russell has been described by UK wine critic Tim Atkin as “one of the very best winemaker’s in New Zealand” and he won the New Zealand Winemaker of the Year award in 2007

Gordon’s passionate approach to winemaking has led to the enormous success his wines have achieved in tastings and competitions. He believes that the concept of 'texture‘ in a wine is as important as the aromas and flavours of the wine. By 'texture' he means the balance and harmony of the wine together with complexity and palate interest. He achieves these by keeping open as many blending options as possible, with a multitude of ferments from the various parcels of grapes and such techniques as barrel fermentation and yeast lees influence. He aims to produce premium, handcrafted wines that are both elegant and sophisticated and which truly reflect the character of the individual vineyards.

Esk Valley is situated in the Hawkes Bay region, on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island. The region enjoys a maritime climate, with moderate winter and summer temperatures and rainfall, and a mild autumn allowing the grapes to hang longer and develop flavours and aromas. There are warmer nighttime temperatures than in the Marlborough region to the south and Gordon can usually rely on some beneficial Botrytis for his Chenin Blanc. Many of his vines are planted on shingle close to the beach with others on sandy river terraces further inland.

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(Label notes – Esk Valley redesigned all of its labels and packaging in 2009. Of the wines on offer the Chenin Blanc and the Verdelho have the new white labels and the other wines have the traditional black labels. The other ’Black Label” wines will change to the new labels from the 2009 vintage.)