Elephant Hill Le Phant Rouge 2021, Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand

Le Phant Rouge is a red blend from Elephant Hill, a family-owned estate on the Te Awanga coast of Hawke’s Bay, on New Zealand’s North Island. It brings together fruit from the estate’s three vineyards in different sub-regions – coastal Te Awanga, the Gimblett Gravels and the Bridge Pa Triangle – where soils range from shingle and clay to ancient stony riverbeds. The blend is led by Merlot and Syrah, with Tempranillo and Malbec and a little Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. The grapes are hand picked, and the wine spends time in French oak, which softens it and rounds out the finish without masking the fruit.

It is a dark-fruited red with plenty of juicy blackberry and dark plum on the nose, along with smoke, spice and a peppery lift from the Syrah. The palate is medium to full bodied, plush and succulent, with dark plum, blackberry, cassis and a touch of chocolate. Merlot brings juiciness, Malbec adds structure and the Cabernets help balance tannin and acidity, leading to a smooth, rounded finish.

Serve at around 16–18°C. It is a good match for a juicy steak, roast lamb, duck breast, barbecued meats or a Thai beef salad. Le Phant Rouge is drinking well now and can be kept for a few more years, to around the end of the decade.

Elephant Hill was established in 2003 by Roger and Reydan Weiss, who first visited Te Awanga from Germany in 2001 and set out to build a modern winery combining traditional winemaking with a contemporary style. The estate sits on the Te Awanga coast of Hawke’s Bay, looking out over the Pacific towards Cape Kidnappers. Their son, Andreas Weiss, now leads the business, and winemaker Hugh Crichton heads a small cellar team. Elephant Hill farms three vineyards in distinct Hawke’s Bay sub-regions – Te Awanga, the Gimblett Gravels and the Bridge Pa Triangle – all accredited by Sustainable Winegrowers New Zealand. Grapes are fermented in many small, separate batches before blending, and the winery recycles its wastewater through its own biological treatment system. The name honours elephants, which the Weiss family has long supported through conservation work.