On stony soil
Gimblett Gravels is one of New Zealand’s most coveted wine growing sites, and the latest Annual Vintage Selection is a showcase of the district’s strengths, as Joelle Thomson explains...
It’s been 12 years since the Gimblett Gravels Winegrowers’ Association first released an Annual Vintage Selection and it’s been a fascinating ride, as every year of top 12 wines reveals different strengths to this region in Hawke’s Bay.
There are 800 hectares of grapes planted in Gimblett Gravels Wine Growing District, give or take a hectare or two, which makes it more than worthy of being called a region. It may not compare in size to Marlborough with its tens of thousands of hectares of Sauvignon Blanc, but it’s fair to say that winemakers with plantings on “the Gravels” have little to no aspiration to make high volumes of wine from their stony vineyards.
Instead, they look to some of the world’s greatest and smallest wine regions, such as Saint Joseph with its 600 hectares, nearly all Syrah, in France’s northern Rhône Valley; or to Barbaresco with its 682 hectares devoted entirely to Nebbiolo in north-west Italy.
The region has also marketed itself impressively by branding its wines as grown on gravelly land that bears more than a passing resemblance to many of the world’s great red wine appellations, most notably in the Rhône Valley and Bordeaux.
Gimblett Gravels sits on the base of a meandering old riverbed and is named after an early settler, William John Gimblett, who emigrated to New Zealand in 1878 and later bought the land that now forms a large part of the district.
First planted with red grapes in 1981, the Gimblett Gravels has become synonymous with impressive reds. Of its roughly 800 hectares, 90% is planted in red grapes today. Merlot leads, making up 35% of the region, followed by Syrah with 20%, Cabernet Sauvignon with 15%, Malbec with 7%, Cabernet Franc with 4% and smaller plantings of Grenache, Montepulciano and Tempranillo.
“First planted with red grapes in 1981, the Gimblett Gravels has become synonymous with impressive reds.”
Interestingly, the grape varieties planted on the Gimblett Gravels have evolved away from the great red hope of Cabernet Sauvignon; it remains important but has declined massively. These days, Syrah has filled its shoes with slow but steady growth and incredibly impressive results.
As always, where classic blended reds are concerned, Cabernet remains enormously respected but nearly always as an ingredient rather than a solo performer. The wines are all the better for it. The best winemakers are adventurously using more Cabernet Franc, Malbec and even, on occasion, a little Tempranillo, all of which add depth of colour, smoothness to the palate and impressive approachability.
The wines in this year’s Annual Vintage Selection are just that: approachable. While they can and will undoubtedly age well, they also drink beautifully now – which is no mean feat for such powerful big reds. If investing in a bottle or a case appeals, now’s the time to do it.
The Gimblett Gravels 2019 Annual Vintage Selection
Blended reds
2019 Elephant Hill Hieronymus RRP $125
2019 Esk Valley Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot RRP $19.99
2019 Esk Valley Great Dirt River Gravels Merlot Malbec Cabernet Sauvignon RRP $70
2019 Mission Estate Jewelstone Antoine RRP $50
2019 Pask Declaration Merlot RRP $50
2019 Squawking Magpie The Nest RRP $49.95
2019 Trinity Hill The Gimblett RRP $40
Syrah
2019 Craggy Range Le Sol RRP $150
2019 Craggy Range Syrah Gimblett Gravels RRP $39.95
2019 Mission Estate Jewelstone Syrah RRP $50
2019 Smith & Sheth Cru Heretaunga Syrah RRP $40
2019 Squawking Magpie Stoned Crow Syrah RRP $49.95
Note:
· The wines were independently selected by Andrew Caillard MW.
· All the wines are released with the exception of the Elephant Hill Hieronymus, which will be out in May 2022.
Joelle Thomson is an Journalist, wine writer and author.
