Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, #209 2013, Lisa Perotti-Brown

91 points

“Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2010 Argent Cabernet Sauvignon opens with aromas of crushed blackcurrants, blackberries and ripe plums accented by nuances of cedar, mocha, dried Mediterranean herbs and pencil lead. Medium-bodied and packed with ripe blackberry and toasty oak flavors, it is well structured with a medium to firm level of grainy tannins and a good backbone of acid through the long finish with a pleasant, herbal lift. Drink it now to 2020+.”

Wine Orbit, October 2015, Sam Kim

94 points

“This is a stylish expression of the noble grape, exhibiting lifted aromas of dark fruit, game, tar, cedar and dried herb on the nose. It is ripe and concentrated on the palate with excellent focus and silky texture, finishing superbly long and engaging. This wine is wonderfully balanced, and looks very youthful for it’s age. At it’s best: now to 2024.”

BobCampbell.nz, 2014, Bob Campbell MW

93 points

“Elegant cabernet sauvignon with classic blackberry/cassis and cedar flavours. Silken-textured red with fine, soft tannins providing a gentle backbone. Supple wine with a surprisingly lengthy finish. Very approachable now but with cellaring potential.”

Buyers Guide to New Zealand Wines, 2013 edition, Michael Cooper

4 stars

“The debut 2010 vintage was hand-harvested at ‘select vineyard sites’ in the Hawkes Bay, blended with a small parcel of merlot, matured for 20 months in French oak barrels (partly new), and bottled unfined and unfiltered. Full and youthful in colour, with a  fragrant, ripe, berths bouquet, it is mouth filling, sweet-fruited and savoury, with generous, plummy, spicy flavours, showing good complexity, fresh acidity and obvious potential. Best drinking 2014+.”

Raymond Chan Wine Reviews, August 2013, Raymond Chan

18+/20

“Argent is the ‘colour of silver’. Cabernet sauvignon from gravelly vineyard sites blended with a small parcel of merlot from heavier soil, fermented to 13.5% alc., the wine aged 20 months in new and seasoned French oak barrels. Very full, near impenetrable black-red with youthful purple hues. Concentrated, focussed, ripe blackberry and blackcurrant aromas are entwined with subtle plum notes, with pencil shavings and cedary oak elements adding detail. Medium-full bodied and elegantly proportioned, this has a concentrated core of sweetly ripe black berry fruits with liquorice, currant and herb nuances, along with spicy oak. The mouthfeel is textured with fine-grained tannins and the palate is carried somewhat but the acidity, leading to a long, lingering, spicy, black-plum finish. This is a ripe black-fruited cabernet sauvignon with fine tannins and sweet oak. Match with roasted red meats or serve with hard cheeses over the next 7-9 years.”