Goldwater Waiheke Island Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot

Vertical Tasting Information, February 2000

Goldwater Waiheke Island Cabernet/Merlot/Franc 1990
An almost perfect summer and growing season has produced an outstanding wine. An opulent, rich and luscious wine. Supple with exceptionally fine tannins, there is enough extract and density to match any great claret. The fruit is ripe and plummy, and shows great complexity.
Maturation: 17 months French oak 50% new
Cepage: A 60:30:10 blend of Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot/Cabernet Franc
Date Picked: 07 April 1990 (Cabernet Sauvignon)
Brix: 23.5o
Alcohol: 13.5%
Total Acidity: 6.0g/l

Goldwater Waiheke Island Cabernet/Merlot/Franc 1991
A fine warm spring was followed by an excellent summer allowing the moderate crop to ripen fully resulting in an intensely coloured and vibrantly fruity wine with the Merlot and Cabernet Franc dominating the nose and the palate at this stage of its development. Good mouth feel with excellent weight and balance between fruit and oak and brilliantly fine tannin structure.
Maturation: 16 Months French Oak 50 % new
Cepage: Cabernet Sauvignon 54%, Merlot 35%, Cabernet Franc 11%
Date Picked: 10 April (Cabernet Sauvignon)
Brix: 23.5o
Alcohol: 13.3%
Total Acidity: 5.8g/l

Goldwater Waiheke Island Cabernet/Merlot/Franc 1993
A cooler than normal but exceptionally fine growing season with no rainfall recorded from October through to the end of April. Every day was just perfection! This was attributed to the cooler than usual sea surface temperatures around New Zealand after the eruption of Mt Pinatubo in 1992.
Brilliant cerise purple colour. Intensely powerful bouquet of peppery blackberries with a long penetrating aroma that goes on and on. The structural elegance of this wine is impressive and the aftertaste wonderful and lingering.
Maturation: 17 months new French oak
Cepage: Cabernet Sauvignon 52%, Merlot 38%, Cabernet Franc 10%
Date Picked: 07 April 1993 (Cabernet Sauvignon)
Alcohol: 13.4% by Vol.
Total Acidity: 6.7 g/l tartaric

Goldwater Waiheke Island Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot 1994:
An exceptionally fine and dry summer with very small crop ensured that the wine has huge concentration and is packed full of wonderfully ripe berryfruits, intense, almost opaque cerise colour, and fine ripe tannins. The oak is subtle but provides a super background to the opulent cassis, blackberry and plum flavours and aromas. The acidity is assertive yet balanced and drives the extraordinary fruit flavours through to a long and intense finish. This wine has enormous complexity, balance and finesse, and the abundant fine ripe tannins and low pH ensure that it will live for decades.
Maturation: 17 months French oak 50% new
Cepage: Cabernet Sauvignon 48%, Merlot 37%, Cabernet Franc 15%
Date Picked: 02 April 1994 (Cabernet Sauvignon)
Brix: 23.5,
Alcohol 13.6% by Volume
Total Acidity 5.9g/l, pH 3.38

Goldwater Waiheke Island Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot 1995:
A beautiful wine from a most difficult year. Heavy rain prior to harvest caused severe problems with the vintage, however, due to careful vineyard management these problems were minimised, resulting in an exceptional wine given the circumstances. Excellent ripeness levels, brilliantly hued, with delicious aromas of red currants, plum and spice. The palate is rich and quite chunky with layers of ripe fruit flavours interwoven with fine tannins and oak which still need a little time to mellow. Muted acidity levels allow the fruit to drive the flavour through to a soft luscious finish.
Maturation: 16 months in French Oak Barriques (50% new)
Cepage: Cabernet Sauvignon 53%, Merlot 28%, Cabernet Franc 19%
Date Picked: 11 April 1995 ( Cabernet Sauvignon)
Brix: 22.7 (Cabernet Sauvignon)
Alcohol: 13% Vol.
Total Acidity: 5.3g/l

Goldwater Waiheke Island Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot 1996:
Near perfect summer conditions with very low rainfall and small crops have produced an outstanding wine. It shows excellent ripeness and deep colour, with delicious aromas of red currants, plums, spice and cedary oak. The palate is rich, smooth and complex with layers of ripe berryfruit flavours and toasty oak. It is harmoniously balanced, finely structured and deeply concentrated, with abundant fine ripe tannins to ensure longevity. We are confident that this wine will continue to improve for many years.
Maturation 17 Months French oak 50% new
Cepage Cabernet Sauvignon 50%, Merlot 38%, Cabernet Franc 12 %
Date Picked 7 April 1996(Cabernet Sauvignon)
Brix 23.5o
Alcohol 13.1% by Volume
Total Acidity 5.7g/l

Goldwater Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot 1997
A cold wet spring resulted in a very small crop being set (less than ½ tonne to the acre). The weather improved dramatically when summer finally arrived to produce beautifully ripe and concentrated grapes.
The wine is brilliantly hued with great depth of colour. Rich and strongly spiced, with very concentrated fruit wrapped in high quality, nutty oak. Ripe, balanced tannins and a supple, very long finish. Will develop into a stunning wine with a little more time.
Matuaration 15 Months French oak 50% new
Cepage Cabernet Sauvignon 50%, Merlot 38%, Cabernet Franc 12 %
Date Picked 12 April 1997 (Cabernet Sauvignon)
Brix 23o
Alcohol 13.1% by Volume
Total Acidity 5.3g/l

Goldwater Waiheke Island Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot 1998
Another cold wet spring resulted in the smallest crop ever at about 6 Hectolitres per Ha. However, the summer which followed was fine and warm with minimal rainfall enabling this small crop to get deliciously ripe.
The wine is rich and beautifully structured with the finest, almost powdery tannins. It has deep colour with exquisite balance and elegance. The palate is rich, with rich spicy red current fruit, deep concentration, impressive complexity and great finesse.
Cepage Cabernet Sauvignon 52%, Merlot 38%, Cab Franc 10%
Maturation 15 months in French oak 50% new
Date Picked 03 April 1998 (Cabernet Sauvignon)
Brix 23.4o
Alcohol 13.3% by Volume
Total Acidity 5.5g/l

Other Wines

Goldwater Waiheke Island Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot 1999

Yet another unkind spring was again followed by an excellent summer and very good autumn. The crop was thankfully a bit larger than in 1998 but was of equally good quality. The grapes were picked in ideal condition and at optimum ripeness to make a rich, balanced wine with elegant structure.

An enticingly perfumed wine with an appealingly fine structure and great complexity. A true aristocrat in the Goldwater tradition, it is now approaching its best drinking but will continue to improve for a number of years yet. It is a beautifully balanced, finely tuned wine.

Cepage Cabernet Sauvignon 50%; Merlot 38%; Cabernet Franc 12%
Maturation 15 months in French oak 50% new
Date Picked 03 April 1999 (Cabernet Sauvignon)
Brix 23o
Alcohol 13% Vol.
Total Acidity 5.8g/l

Goldwater Waiheke Island Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot 2000

A very good season producing optimum ripeness with good varietal character and brilliant colour. The grapes were hand picked in perfect condition with excellent sugar/acid balance.

Deep crimson, with colour right to the edge. Complex aromas of red berry fruit. Blackberry and red currant predominate over a toasty oak background. Rich, ripe and concentrated with excellent balance and palate weight. Tannins are abundant but fine, supple and silky ensuring a splendid mouth feel and long satisfying finish.Bordeaux Blend of Cabernet Sauvignon 69%; Merlot 20%; Cabernet Franc 11%

Cepage Cabernet Sauvignon 69%; Merlot 20%; Cabernet Franc 11%
Maturation 17 months in French oak 50% new
Date Picked 07 April 2000 (Cabernet Sauvignon)
Brix 23o
Alcohol 13% Vol.
Total Acidity 5.4g/l