It’s simply red for Sacred Hill’s Special Selection range

8 August 2012

It’s simply red for Sacred Hill’s Special Selection range

Sacred Hill has launched its highly anticipated Special Selection range, featuring some of the finest hand-crafted red wines from the winery’s famed Gimblett Gravels vineyard.

The selection features only red wines this year, comprising Sacred Hill 2010 Helmsman Cabernet Merlot, Sacred Hill 2010 Brokenstone Merlot Cabernet Syrah, Sacred Hill 2010 Deerstalkers Syrah and Sacred Hill 2010 Prospector Pinot Noir.

Already the Special Selection wines are receiving top accolades including five stars and top five rankings in Cuisine magazine’s latest tasting results – Sacred Hill’s 2010 Helmsman Cabernet Merlot and Sacred Hill 2010 Brokenstone Merlot Cabernet Syrah, were placed in Cuisine’s top five tastings, published in the magazine’s latest issue.

This result was reinforced by Australian Master of Wine Andrew Caillard, with both wines included in his 12-wine 2010 Gimblett Gravels Annual Vintage Selection. The Annual Vintage Selection is an initiative by the Gimblett Gravels Winegrowers Association and represents the area’s best wines for that vintage. Helmsman scored 97 points and Brokenstone 94 points.

Sacred Hill 2010 Prospector Pinot Noir received four stars in the Winestate Canterbury Central Otago tastings, and respected wine reviewers Raymond Chan and Sam Kim gave all the wines in the selection five stars, adding to the accolades for the Special Selection range.

Chief winemaker Tony Bish said only the finest quality wines are selected for the Special Selection range.

“The 2010 vintage was very successful for us, with a moderately warm and dry autumn that allowed full maturity to be reached for all the red varieties,” he said.

“We take a lot of care to produce these wines, including hand-picking the grapes and minimal handling to bottling. This preserves the wines harmony, depth and balance. These wines express purity, elegance and power, and patient cellaring will be greatly rewarded.”

The wines have been described as elegant, seductive, silky and rich. Helmsman has aromas of cassis, violets, sweet black fruits and a floral lift; Brokenstone has sweet aromas of black plum and ripe cherry, along with nuances of cedar, cinnamon and chocolate notes; Deerstalkers has a spicy aromatic nose, with aromas of dark liquorice, and black peppers, hints of violets, and rich coffee and mocha notes; and Prospector boasts ripe black cherry, boysenberry, wild herbs and dark floral notes.

Sacred Hill Special Selection
The Special Selection range is available from selected fine wine retailers or directly from the winery’s website at www.sacredhill.com

Prospector: $59.99
Deerstalkers: $59.99
Brokenstone: $4999
Helmsman: $84.99

ENDS

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