Elephant Hill was established by the Weiss family in 2003 and released its first vintage since 2007. Over a relatively short period of time they’ve become one of the most highly respected producers of Hawke’s Bay wine.
Elephant Hill’s home vineyards are based in the cooler Te Awanga coastal region of Hawke’s Bay and they also own sites in the warmer inland areas of the Bridge Pa Triangle and the Gimblett Gravels, to give them a range of fruit options for making their preferred wine styles with balance and integrated character. They also produce a Central Otago Pinot Noir in their Estate range. I found that it has a Hawke's Bay winemaking influence – it’s quite grunty in style, which especially shows in the tannin structure.
There have been a few changes to the team at Elephant Hill in the last while. Hugh Crichton has recently been appointed as Elephant Hill Head Winemaker, replacing Steve Skinner, who was the Head Winemaker at Elephant Hill for 15 years and who developed the style and uncompromised quality Elephant Hill wines are recognised for. Hugh also has a great reputation from his 16 years spent establishing Vidal Estate (part of Villa Maria group) and is known as a winemaker who produces wines that truly reflect the region and vineyards where the grapes are grown, especially with the Legacy Chardonnay, which left quite an impression. I look forward to seeing his mark on Elephant Hill.
Other recent appointments include Andrew Vintiner, Operations & Logistics Manager and Simon Swa, General Manager Sales & Marketing, joining head winemaker Hugh Crichton and all led by Andreas Weiss, CEO. I will keep an eye out for the changes to come at Elephant Hill in the next few years.
Here I’ve reviewed the four latest release wines from their Estate range: Tempranillo Rosé 2019; Sauvignon Blanc 2018; Le Phant Rouge 2018; and Pinot Noir 2019 from Central Otago. Elephant Hill always exceeds delivery of their price points, with age-worthiness, especially for Le Phant Rouge.
