04-Apr-2017
The Mills Reef ‘Reserve’ wine tier sits between that flagship ‘Elspeth’ range and the fruit-focussed, value ‘Estate’ bottlings. For Mills Reef, they are the produce of low yielding vines producing grapes with intense fruit flavours and varietal expression. It is because of their balance of flavour, structure and texture that they are well-received in wine shows. In my tastings of the ‘Reserve’ bottlings, they appear to share more in common with the top wines, rather than the lower range. That bodes well for the consumer. Here, I review the new release ‘Reserve’ 2016 Chardonnay and 2015 Merlot, both from Hawke’s Bay fruit. www.millsreef.co.nz
