2009 Wine Show Results
Air New Zealand Wine Awards
GIMBLETT GRAVELS wines added 3 Trophies and 12 more Gold Medals to the trophy cabinet at the 2009 Air NZ Wine Awards.
The red wines led the way with a clean sweep in the Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot and/or Cabernet Sauvignon Blends and Other Red Varieties classes.
Gold medals were also awarded in the Syrah, Chardonnay and Viognier classes.
The successful wines are as follows:
Trophy Winners
Champion Merlot
Villa Maria Reserve Merlot 2007
Champion Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot/Cabernet Blend
Mills Reef Elspeth Cabernet Merlot 2007
Champion Other Red Styles
Trinity Hill Tempranillo 2008
Gold Medal Winners
Merlot Class
Villa Maria Reserve Merlot 2007
Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot and/or Cabernet Sauvignon Blends Class
Matariki Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2007
Mills Reef Elspeth Cabernet Merlot 2007
Newton Forrest Cornerstone 2007
Trinity Hill GIMBLETT GRAVELS The Gimblett 2007
Villa Maria Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2007 (Pure Gold)
Other Red Varieties Class
Trinity Hill GIMBLETT GRAVELS Tempranillo 2008
Trinity Hill GIMBLETT GRAVELS Tempranillo 2007
Syrah Class
Mills Reef Elspeth Syrah 2007
Vidal Reserve Syrah 2006
Chardonnay Class
Te Awa Chardonnay 2007
Viognier Class
Trinity Hill GIMBLETT GRAVELS Viognier 2008
Hawkes Bay A&P Mercedes Benz Wine Awards
Champion Wine of Show, Best Sustainable Wine of Show, 6 category trophies and 12 gold medals – this was the haul for GIMBLETT GRAVELS wines at the recent Hawke’s Bay Wine Awards, judged by a panel of leading international and local palates.
Balthazar Estate’s Gimblett Road Syrah 2007 was awarded Champion Wine of Show (and Champion Syrah) with Sacred Hill’s Brokenstone Merlot 2007 awarded Best Sustainable Wine of Show and Champion Merlot.
Vidal Wines Reserve Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 won the trophy for Merlot Dominant Red Blends.
Not to be outdone, GIMBLETT GRAVELS white wines collected 3 trophies, as follows:
Premium White Varietals – Babich GIMBLETT GRAVELS Gewurztraminer 2007
Sweet Wines – Trinity Hill GIMBLETT GRAVELS Noble Viognier 2008
Museum Class – Squawking Magpie GIMBLETT GRAVELS Chardonnay 2005.
Further gold medals were awarded to the following wines:
Merlot Class
Villa Maria Reserve Merlot 2007
Red Blends – Merlot Dominant Class
Villa Maria Cellar Selection Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon 2007
Syrah Class
Sacred Hill Wine Thief Syrah 2007
Trinity Hill GIMBLETT GRAVELS Syrah 2008
Vidal Reserve Syrah 2007
Premium White Varietals Class
Esk Valley Verdelho 2009
Mills Reef Double Gold at MUNDUS Vini
The MUNDUSvini International Wine Award is a competition held in Germany for wines from all the wine-growing regions in the world.
Today MUNDUSvini is the largest officially recognised wine competition in the world with 5726 wines entered in 2009.
Two Mills Reef GIMBLETT GRAVELS wines won prestigious gold medals:
Mills Reef Reserve Merlot Malbec 2007
Mills Reef Elspeth Cabernet Sauvignon 2007
Liquorland Top 100
GIMBLETT GRAVELS 2007 vintage wines dominated the fuller bodied reds categories, securing 2 trophies and 6 gold medals.
Trophy Winners:
Merlot trophy
Wild Rock Gravel Pit Red Merlot Malbec 2007,
Other Red Varietals trophy
Trinity Hill Tempranillo 2007
Gold medal winners:
Merlot Class
Esk Valley Winemakers Reserve Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon/Malbec 2007
Thornbury Merlot 2007
Villa Maria Reserve GIMBLETT GRAVELS Merlot 2007
Wild Rock Gravel Pit Red Merlot Malbec 2007
Syrah Class
Wild Rock Angels Dust Reserve Syrah 2007
Other Varietals Class
Trinity Hill Tempranillo 2007
New World Wine Awards
This wine competition focuses on under $25 priced wines with minimum production volumes of 500 cases. GIMBLETT GRAVELS wines further demonstrated quality for value, winning 3 of only 36 Gold Medals awarded.
The Gold medal winners were:
Babich Winemakers Reserve Merlot 2007
Mission Estate Reserve Merlot 2007
Squawking Magpie The Chatterer Merlot Syrah Malbec 2007
NZ International Wine Show -Wild & White!
It was the turn of GIMBLETT GRAVELS white wines to feature prominently, although Wild Rock Gravel Pit Red Merlot Malbec 2008 claimed the Champion Merlot Predominant Trophy.
Gold medals went to the following GG designated white wines:
Matariki Reserve Chardonnay 2006
Trinity Hill GIMBLETT GRAVELS Chardonnay 2007
Trinity Hill GIMBLETT GRAVELS Viognier 2008
Trinity Hill GIMBLETT GRAVELS Noble Viognier 2008
Tri-Nations Wine Challenge results
GIMBLETT GRAVELS wines led the NZ charge at the recent Tri-Nations Wine Challenge, winning 2 trophies,3 double gold (runner up) and 9 other gold medals for their red wines.
Recently, Jancis Robinson commented how similar, stylistically, GIMBLETT GRAVELS wines were to Bordeaux and this was reaffirmed with trophies in the Merlot and Bordeaux blends categories.
Award winning wines were as follows:
Merlot Trophy – Craggy Range GIMBLETT GRAVELS Merlot 2007
Bordeaux Blends Trophy -Craggy Range The Quarry Cabernet Merlot 2007
Merlot Double Gold – Villa Maria Reserve Merlot 2006
Bordeaux Blends Double Gold – Squawking Magpie The Nest Merlot Cabernet Malbec 2007
Syrah/Shiraz Double Gold – Vidal Reserve Syrah 2006
Gold Medals
John Forrest Collection Syrah 2006
Craggy Range Le Sol Syrah 2007
Villa Maria Reserve Syrah 2007
Villa Maria Cellar Selection Syrah 2007
Newton Forrest Cabernet Sauvignon 2006
John Forrest Collection Cabernet Sauvignon 2005
Mills Reef Elspeth Cabernet Sauvignon 2007
Mission Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2007
Craggy Range Sophia Merlot Cabernet Franc 2007
Romeo Bragato Success
It has been another successful weekend for GIMBLETT GRAVELS at the 2009 Romeo Bragato conference in Napier.
GIMBLETT GRAVELS wines exclusively secured Trophies and Gold medals in the fuller bodied reds categories (as below)
Cabernet Sauvignon/predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon blends 2007
Sacred Hill Helmsman Cabernet Merlot 2007 – Sacred Hill Wines Ltd – Gold & Trophy
Cabernet Sauvignon/predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon blends 2006 and older
Newton Forrest Cornerstone 2005 – Robert Newton – Gold & Trophy
Merlot/predominantly Merlot blends 2007
Craggy Range ‘Te Kahu’ 2007 – Michael Goldwater – Gold & Trophy
Syrah 2007
Esk Valley Reserve Syrah 2007 – Robert Newton – Gold & Trophy
Sacred Hill Deerstalkers Syrah 2007 – Sacred Hill Wines Ltd
Royal Easter Show Wine Awards
GIMBLETT GRAVELS red wines added 2 more trophies and 8 Gold Medals to its burgeoning tally at the 2009 Royal Easter Show Wine Awards.
Trophies (and Gold Medals) were awarded to:
Villa Maria Cellar Selection Syrah 2007 – Champion Syrah
Trinity Hill GIMBLETT GRAVELS Tempranillo 2007 – Champion Wine of Other Varieties
Gold Medals were awarded to:
Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot Predominant Class
Esk Valley Reserve Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon Malbec 2005
Squawking Magpie The Nest Merlot Cabernet Malbec 2007
Merlot Class
Mills Reef Elspeth Merlot 2007
Mission Estate Reserve Merlot 2007
Thornbury Merlot 2007
Syrah Class
Villa Maria Cellar Selection Syrah 2007
Other Red Varieties Class
Trinity Hill GIMBLETT GRAVELS Tempranillo 2007
Trinity Hill Hawke’s Bay Montepulciano 2008