Last Sunday, with my House of Pania Bnb wine-ing pool boy hat on, I visited Clearview Estate which lies just north of Te Awanga on the coast road to the base of the Cape Kidnappers cliffs. It sits on very old river gravels thought to have come from as far away as the Mohaka River. As with most Hawke's Bay vineyards, there will be ash and pumice layers from the Lake Taupo eruptions centuries ago.

Initially, there was the old Vidals' Vineyard No. 2 which once purchased by Clearview was cleared in preparation for new vines alongside adjoining land where vines were grafted and planted for the first time. Plantings expanded by 3 acres each year for some years.

At first, Tim Turvey and his partner Helma van den Berg did all the clearing, planting, training, pruning, and post and wire work. The first red vintage was in 1989 and the chardonnay, a reserve, in 1991. Tim carried on with the vineyard work and Helma did the admin and later got the restaurant and cellar door going. As the business grew so did the number of employees and eventually, Tim worked alongside two winemakers and maintained a supervisory role in the vineyards.

Over the years new red varietals were added so that Clearview had the full suite of main Bordeaux grapes as well as Syrah. It became well known for its high-end reds and range of Chardonnays. Tim has also welcomed young French winemakers for short periods. One of these was a fifth-generation winemaker gaining worldwide experience who suggested a change to tannin management which Clearview adopted, in part at least.

I spoke with Tim on Sunday. He reported the hard winter and the predicted long hot dry summer will be perfect for resuming red reserves.

2022 and 2023 were not good years and no red reserves were made. Most HB residents will remember those years for how much rain there was, some in very large dollops, not at all typical.

"No worries" Tim would say, as there is still very good reserve quality wine from 2021 to buy. I tasted 4 of these. Enigma (a Merlot dominant Bordeaux style) and Old Olive Block (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Malbec ) which will benefit from 4-5 more years in the bottle. I bought 2 each of the Cabernet Franc and Malbec, tasting well now but will also get better with a few more years in the bottle - if I can stop myself from opening them in the meantime as they are already delicious. The grapes for these wines all come from vines 20 or more years old.

I did not taste the Chardonnays, of which there are 8! All are recommended, from the lower, e.g. Coastal to the Reserve which for 2022 attracted a score of 95/100 from Bob Campbell. Clearview describes these wines as "renowned iconic...with continuous 5-star gold medal and trophy-rated fruit-driven wines". All true, and remarkably well priced. We put one of these in the fridge for House of Pania Bnb guests to try.

Last but not least is the restaurant, open for lunch most days, and an evening meal with live music on Fridays. Tim says it is the longest-running restaurant in NZ!

Look it up! It's well worth a visit. Wonderful location, outdoors mostly, and close to the vines.

Next, a brief mention of Redmetal Vineyard located in the Bridge Pa Triangle area, just south of the Gimblett Gravels.

From its 8 hectares, Grant Edmonds makes what he calls "rich and complex reds". There is also Alborino, a white grape, which is quite new to HB. It produces a ripe mouth-filling wine somewhere between a Pinot Gris and a Sauvignon Blanc.

To my taste, the best of Redmetal is the Merlot/Cabernet Franc 2021 which at $25 a bottle does not do justice to a seriously good wine. Its big brother is basket-pressed and $45, among the best blends of these grapes you will find anywhere.

There is no cellar door at Redmetal so best to start at their website - redmetalvineyards.co.nz

Finally, and prematurely, we opened a 2022 Millesime Mas de Daumas Gassac from the Languedoc near St Guilhem Le Desert to share with friends two weeks ago. We bought this at the winery after a tasting. This was a standout and not something you will find anywhere else. Cabernet/Sauvignon dominant there were 6 other varieties in the blend including Tannat which was new to me. Outstanding! Look for it, buy it, and praise the wine gods that there are people who can make wonder in a bottle. Our apologies to the winemakers for drinking a wine their label recommends be kept for 10 to 25 years!

Next blog Trinity Hill and the Gimblett Gravels.

#hawkesbaywine