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.

Sacred Hill Brokenstone Hawke's Bay NZ Merlot 2005

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88/100 45

Dense, oaky Merlot with some spice, plum and dark berry character with a firm backbone of drying tannins. No expense is spared to make the very best wine under this flagship label. The wine is constructed to give it plenty of cellaring potential. The price it pays for its generous helping of oak and tannins is inaccessibility during its youthful stage. I sense that it will become a great wine within a few years but have given it a restrained score in the meantime.

Tasted: Apr 2008   Closure: S'cap    Average price: NZD $64 (~USD $54)

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.