Gillman Vineyard and Kemp Wine Merchants are pleased to announce their exclusive national distribution partnership in New Zealand, effective immediately. Kemp Wine Merchants will be adding all current vintages of Gillman Vineyard wines to their portfolio. These wines will be available in on-premise and retail channels, including Kemp Wine Merchants owned retail shop — Great Little Vineyards.
Words from Kemp Wine Merchants / Great Little Vineyards (hereinafter, GLV)
It’s no secret that some of the country’s most exciting wines are now coming out of Matakana, one of New Zealand’s longest-established regions. In keeping with the GLV’s philosophy of promoting family-owned, artisan vineyards who marry class and elegance with humble technique, we couldn’t be more thrilled to announce the newest member of our family of winemakers: Gillman Vineyard.
L to R – John, Rebecca Toby and Peggy Gillman
Established in 1998 by Toby Gillman and his family, Gillman has brought together the best of two worlds: winemaking passion and pedigree; and the quality control and tiny production levels of a true family-owned enterprise. Notably producing only one wine – a consistently lauded Bordeaux blend – the estate’s quality can be particularly traced to Toby’s well-honed craftsmanship.
In addition to a stint working for existing GLV family member Providence, Toby also spent a vintage at St Emilion’s esteemed Château Angélus, where he gained the nickname “the spy” for his intense interest in the inner workings of this vaunted Grand Cru Classé. Notably, the techniques employed at Angélus were found to be surprisingly low-tech and traditional, and Toby has brought this minimal-intervention approach to bear on his own winemaking as well.
With two decades of Gillman’s operation now under their belts, Toby and family are at the top of their game in 2018 and have admirably kept both their production levels and their price point consistent, in spite of rave reviews and increasing demand. Described as “one of the hidden gems in the world of wine”, the well-finessed winemaking on display in each vintage is evident in each release’s structure, and as we have seen from the occasional dip into treasured library stock, these vintages have the staying power to develop and beguile over many years. In no rush, Toby favours meticulously balanced oak integration and naturally-developing malo in his wines, which is perhaps why Gillman’s red is paradoxically both gentle and powerful.
The GLV range already tells a full story of artisan winemaking in New Zealand, but we couldn’t resist the opportunity to work with Gillman – an utterly distinctive estate, which we believe opens up another chapter in the story that the wines will tell on their own, evolving from year to year…
https://www.greatlittlevineyards.com/vineyard/gillman-vineyard/
For more information, please contact Cecilia@perspicacite.com or Info@greatlittlevineyards.com