Established Waiheke wine producer, Mudbrick, sells much of its production through its highly-successful restaurant perched on a north-west facing slope with spectacular views across the harbour and back to the Auckland CBD.The Mudbrick Velvet 2019 is a richly-textured red with cellaring potential.

Four Waiheke vineyards: Shepherds Point, Hawkes Crest, Seaview Road and Mudbrick, supply the grapes for the so-called Flagship Range of three wines.

The Flagship wines are dressed to kill with heavy bottles, hand-applied wax capsules and cork closures.

The 2019 vintage was a large and mostly favourable in Waiheke with a warm, bountiful spring that lifted yields by 20%. Early summer was hot and wet but followed by a late summer/autumn that produced physiologically ripe fruit at relatively low Brix, which translated into modest alcohol levels.

The Mudbrick Francesca Chardonnay 2019 is more taut and vibrant than the Reserve label with lime juice, citrus, oyster-shell, mineral, baguette crust and spicy oak flavours. It’s a tight, austere wine that needs a little time to show its true potential. (NZD $120)

Mudbrick’s Oscar Syrah 2019 is a creamy-textured wine, with dried fruit, Christmas cake, liquorice, chocolate-mocha, black pepper and vanilla flavours. An appealing wine with a core of sweet fruit and a seasoning of spices. Accessible now but should develop well with bottle age. (NZD $120)

Finally, the Mudbrick Velvet 2019 is a blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, petit verdot and malbec. It’s a dense and moderately complex red with dark berry, rhubarb, dried herb, and mixed spice flavours. A richly-textured red with cellaring potential. (NZD $150)

This article was originally published by The Real Review by Bob Campbell MW.