Kudos to the Gimblett Gravels® reds chosen for the 2023 Annual Vintage Selection. On announcing the selection, Andrew Caillard MW declared, “it is extremely moving to taste wines of this quality and impact.”
The sixteenth year of the release, the top six were selected blind by Sydney based Master of Wine Andrew Caillard. Sent to wine influencers around the world, the wines tell the story of the 2023 vintage.
When Cyclone Gabrielle hit Hawke’s Bay in February 2023, the free draining soils of the Gimblett Gravels Wine Growing District® revealed their worth. Coupled with the fortitude and skill of the vignerons, the wines are a tribute to the producers.
Andrew applauded the wineries, noting, “the 2023 Gimblett Gravels Selection highlights the resilience of the district while showing the creative strength of winemakers and the exceptional calibre of vineyard managers and their teams.”
Chairman of the Gimblett Gravels Winegrowers Association, Cameron Price, commented, “vintage 2023 was a powerful reminder of nature’s hand in winemaking, but that the skill and passion of the vigneron can prevail. These wines continue the Gimblett Gravels® story of excellence, a testament to the enduring partnership between nature and nurture.”
The 2023 Annual Vintage Selection comprises the following wines:
Blended reds (Bordeaux varieties)
- Church Road Grand Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot Cabernet Franc
- Cuvar Guardians Cabernet Merlot Malbec
- Mission Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
- Squawking Magpie The Chatterer Merlot Malbec
Syrah
- Elephant Hill Stone Syrah
- Stonecroft Organic Reserve Syrah
In the coming weeks, the 2023 Annual Vintage Selection will be presented to key opinion leaders throughout the world for their review.
https://thegimblettgravels.com/
EDITOR’S NOTE
The sixteenth year of this initiative from the Gimblett Gravels Winegrowers Association, the Annual Vintage Selection provides a snapshot of each vintage and helps to chart the evolution of GIMBLETT GRAVELS® wines.
GIMBLETT GRAVELS® is a fully registered trademark owned by the Gimblett Gravels Winegrowers Association, established in 2001. Only members of the Association are entitled to brand their qualifying wines as GIMBLETT GRAVELS® where such wines comprise a minimum of 95% fruit grown on specific free draining gravel soils deposited by the Ngaruroro River in inland Hawke’s Bay, North Island.
The combination of these deeply layered gravels – of which there are only 800 hectares (2000 acres) by area – and warm maritime climate has served to produce blended (Bordeaux varietal) red and Syrah wines that have achieved critical acclaim around the globe.