The first of the three vineyard bottlings of Escarpment I got to taste. Larry McKenna of Martinborough Vineyards fame now makes wines for his own Escarpment with great success.
Moana has a deep purple colour and an absolutely lovely, classy nose. Deep, dark red fruit, cherries and strawberries, plus smoky and stylish notes of toasted oak that are evident but well integrated and balanced by the clean, deep fruit.
The attack on the palate is fresh and fruity with just an initial hint of sweetness. Noticeable acidity and a growing bitterness. Fine grained tannins that are somehow masked by the acidity. Fresh and rather bitter aftertaste. Undeveloped and closed right now, probably needs a couple of years in the bottle to open up and show its potential, but I expect this to become a splendidly charming wine with time.
Cheers, Anders