“Trinity Hill is often referred to as an iconic New Zealand winery because they consistently produce superb examples of traditional and innovative wine varieties.”
I think everyone at the recent Decanta Wine Club Tasting with John Hancock would have to agree with this statement…
John Hancock met Robert and Robyn Wilson at their London restaurant and over a few wines the concept of a Hawkes Bay winery was born – They reckoned they could make world class wines there, and in 1993 Trinity Hill became one of the pioneer vineyards in the region. A range of varieties such as Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, Syrah and Viognier and experimental plantings of Tempranillo, Arneis and Montepulciano have gone from strength to strength proving John’s hunch about the region was right!
John Hancock
John is a wonderful presenter, entertaining us with stories and anecdotes from his 35 years in the wine industry, his contribution to the Hawke’s Bay wine region and his 24 years+ with Trinity Hill making fabulous wines. You can read a lot more of this amazing NZ Wine story here… https://www.trinityhill.com/
The wine line up for the night commenced with a Hawke’s Bay Sauvignon Blanc then 3 flights of 2 wines each as a comparative tasting: Chardonnay, Syrah, Bordeaux blends and finishing with the award winning Homage Syrah 2013, a consistant 5 star winning wine, selected for the Air New Zealand top 60 Fine Wines of 2016. (the 2015 vintage recently selected for the 2017 list)
The wines were all top class, well made and between them have been awarded many accolades – The lovely Decanta staff looked after us with pouring the wines and Tapas were matched with 4 of the wines as always! A few lucky punters won wine and dinner vouchers at the end of the evening – Great venue – Great people – Great wines!
The Wines were in order… (my scribbled notes) – visit http://www.trinityhill.com/Our-Wines/ for detailed winemaker’s tasting notes and to purchase the wines online –
Sauvignon Blanc 2016
Pale straw coloured, tropical fruit, grassy and citrus in the nose, more lush stonefruit and citrus acidity on the palate with a little textural element from 20% aged in Oak, dry crisp finish.
Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2015
Straw with hints of lemon in colour, aromatic stonefruit, floral and nutty nose, lovely clean acidity on the palate, a nice fruit forward style chardonnay without the usual over-the-top BF / Malo – nicely balanced.
Gimblett Gravels Chardonnay 2015
Very pale almost clear in the glass, florals and citrus in the nose with a hint of smoke and toasty oak, rich layered palate of tight acidity, creamy nutty Chablis styled, elegant with great length.
Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2016
Cherry / Purple coloured, light on the rim, dark berries, spice and a whiff of liquorice in the nose, medium bodied with lovely silky tannins, complex savoury spice nuances – still young but will certainly improve with 2-3 years aging.
Gimblet Gravels Syrah 2014
Deep crimson, almost black in colour, fragrant, wild berry-fruit aromatics with pepper, spice and oak, grippy tannins, well balanced with concentrated fruit and toasty oak mouthfeel – a big wine, powerful and complex!
The Trinity 2014
Merlot predominant bordeaux blend, with Tempranillo, Malbec, Cabernet Franc & others. Deep black cherry coloured, dark fruit, plum, blackcurrant in the nose, nicely structured palate, rich fruit, gentle tannin / oak influence, youthful even at 3 years old.
The Gimblett 2014
A blend of Cabernet Franc, Cab Sav, Merlot and Malbec – deep indigo almost black in the glass, smoky & herbaceous nose with red berry fruit, wonderful depth of fruit flavours, subtle oak and tannins give the wine structure and complexity – seamless! Huge finish – still young.
Homage 2013
My first ever taste of this outstanding HB Syrah… This wine is the pinnacle of John’s winemaking career, and one of the flagship red wines of New Zealand, awarded 95 points by Wine Enthusiast, and made James Suckling’s Top 100 – Learn mmore here: http://www.trinityhill.com/The-Homage-Story/
My favorite wine of the night – absolutely stunning! Deep purple to black in colour… powerful nose of dark berries, plum and spice. On the palate it was huge mouthfilling flavours of ripe black berries, pepper, liquorice, prunes? and layers of textured oak, rich tannins and a long elegant finish – definitely one of or even the best Syrah I have ever tasted…
Thanks John – a great evening! Cheers!