Bob Campbell is one of only 264 Masters of Wine in the world. An international wine judge, Bob judges wine professionally in ten countries and contributes regularly to publications around the world. His specialty is New Zealand wine which he reviews from an international perspective.

Babich Irongate Cabernet Merlot Franc Hawke's Bay NZ 2005

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90/100 45

A Bordeaux-like red showing the benefit of bottle age. Smooth-textured wine with restrained berry fruit and oak flavours plus emerging complexity giving a mellow, toasty influence. Intriguing wine that needs to be decanted for an hour to display its full array of complex flavours. A more elegant than blockbuster red that nonetheless packs plenty of power. Past vintages demonstrate an ability to age well.

Tasted: Jul 2009   Closure: Diam    Average price: NZD $35 (~USD $29)

The above price is the estimated retail price given by the wine maker when it was submitted for review. It may not reflect the actual current market price.
USD pricing is a simple currency conversion from NZD and may not reflect the actual US retail pricing.

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These comments come straight from Bob's unedited tasting notes database. If you notice a spelling error or other problem on this page, please contact us so we can correct it.