Mission Estate is the oldest continuous working winery in New Zealand and its Huchet wines are named in honour of the first winemaker, Brother Cyprian Huchet, the son of a French winemaker from the Loire Valley, who became the first winemaker in New Zealand at Mission Estate in 1871. These wines span the gamut of price from excellent wines at RRP $29 to top reds named in honour of Brother Huchet.
Here are my reviews.
19/20
2019 Mission Huchet Gimblett Gravels Syrah RRP $170
This exceptional Syrah is a complex, structured wine with great longevity, thanks to the superb 2019 vintage, which delivers this stellar Syrah with its seductive fleshy core. Ripe red plums are enveloped in aromas of spice, cedar, a hint of cardamon and notes of pepper, which will evolve into an elegant silky wine of depth in time. Syrah is emerging, slowly and steadily, as one of the great reds of Hawke’s Bay.
Eleven barrels of Huchet Syrah were made in 2019, which was a relatively small vintage. The wine is named after the late Cyprian Huchet.
18.5/20
2018 Mission Huchet Cabernet Sauvignon RRP $170
Cabernet Sauvignon with an impressive taut structure and great intensity. This is a blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon and 11% Cabernet Franc; the latter adding lift and perfumed dark blackberry aromas. Both grape varieties combine beautifully to create a layered and lovely dark and impressive expression of a classic right bank Bordeaux wine. The 2018 vintage was a vintage with a long autumn, which enabled good ripening conditions, resulting in this wine’s density and richness. It was made from hand picked grapes which were given post ferment maceration (23 days) post ferment, followed by 12 months maturation in French oak and another year in older barrels. This wine will evolve beautifully for up to a decade and it was named after the late Cyprian Huchet.
18.5/20
2020 Mission Estate Antoine Jewelstone Syrah RRP $70
This complex red is made with grapes grown on Mere Road vineyard on the Gimblett Gravels and derives its impressive colour from 14 to 30 days maceration, post ferment, followed by a year of ageing in French barrels, 60% new. Ripe fruit tannins lead into a warming spicy Syrah with dark fruit flavours of plums, underpinned by spicy notes of anise, cardamon and cedary oak.
17.5/20
2021 Mission Reserve Cabernet Merlot RRP $29
The long dry season in 2021 resulted in some of the best reds from Hawke’s Bay yet and this smooth, dark wine with ripe black olive aromas and dark juicy fruit is an excellent example. It’s made from a blend of three grapes grown in two different areas. Cabernet Sauvignon is 62%, Merlot 35% and Cabernet Franc 3% of the blend here with 80% of the grapes grown on Gimblett Gravels and 20% in Bridge Pa.
17/20
2020 Mission Reserve Malbec RRP $29
The 2020 vintage was ideal for ripening a grape as rich, smoky and dark as Malbec and now, at four years old, this wine is putting its best foot forward in this accessibly priced drop. Aromas of smoked meat lead into a velvety textured red with a full body and lingering spice flavours.
17.5/20
2021 Mission Estate Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon RRP $29
This full bodied, ripe and robust expression of Cabernet Sauvignon from the excellent 2021 vintage has a dark fruited, structured style. It highlights Cabernet at its best with aromas of blackberries, black olives and notes of dried herbs. The grapes in this wine were grown on the Gimblett Gravels and in the Bridge Pa Triangle wine areas, in which stony soils soak up the sun, providing excellent ripening conditions. It drinks well now and will age consistently, gaining softness and more complexity for up to 10 years.
