Hand picked and hand plunged from low yielding vines. Aged in French oak (30% new) for 18 months. Dark ruby colour. Aromatics of cedar, plums, and berryfruit. Lovely dense plumy fruit with soft lingering mid palate and fine lingering spicey finish. Based on previous Ruhanuis, this wine will last forever.
60% Merlot, 29% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Syrah

Some superb Cabernet from this vintage has provided the backbone for a wine of considerable depth and flavour. Beautiful aromatics of cedar and blackberries with hints of coffee. The palate is very fruit driven with a plummy mid palate and long flavours of fine tannin mixed with berry fruit. 43% Cabernet Sauvignon, 40% Merlot, 17% Syrah.
Tasting note 28/9/06.
Drinking beautifully.

Fine, traditional cabernet aromatics, ranging between blackberry and dried herbs, with the usual medium/dense ruby edged colour. Vintage 2000 produced lower than usual crops for Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot and has produced a wine of considerable density and mid palate, with a lingering, slightly firm tannin structure at this youthful stage. The wine should develop extremely well over the next 3-5 years, with significant further aging potential. A blend of 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot and 15% Syrah.

Once again, a blend of Cabernet, Merlot and Syrah. With the exception of the Cabernet component, I would rate the fruit for this wine ahead of 1998. Consequently, a lesser proportion than usual of Cabernet is in the resulting blend. Perfumed berry fruit aromatics are followed by ripe, sweet fruit flavours and a long finely balanced tannin/spice finish. My guess would be best drinking in the next 3-5 years, but accessible now. I would rate this wine ahead of the 1998 Ruhanui. 39% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Merlot, 26% Syrah.

The Cabernet Sauvignon component of this wine was probably the one part of our 1998 vintage which was superior in ripeness to our normal harvesting regime. The wine is 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Syrah, 15% Merlot. Ripe fruit aromas are followed by a sweet fruit mid palate and a very lingering, long spicy finish. Aged in French oak for 18 months, this wine will age for a long period.

Nov 2008
Drinking superbly. Beautiful primary fruit just moving into secondary phase, with well integrated tannins.
This wine has a great life ahead of it.