2012 Wine Show Results
November
Air NZ Wine Awards
4 trophies and 13 Gold/Pure Gold medals awarded as follows:
Merlot Class
Villa Maria Reserve GIMBLETT GRAVELS Hawke’s Bay Merlot 2010 – Trophy
Syrah Class
Trinity Hill GIMBLETT GRAVELS Syrah 2011
Villa Maria Cellar Selection Hawke’s Bay GIMBLETT GRAVELS Syrah 2010
Villa Maria Reserve GIMBLETT GRAVELS Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2010
Villa Maria Reserve Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2009
Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot/Cabernet Blend Class
Villa Maria Reserve GIMBLETT GRAVELS Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot 2010
Esk Valley Winemakers Reserve Merlot Malbec Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 – Trophy
Other Red Styles Class
Trinity Hills GIMBLETT GRAVELS Tempranillo 2010 – Trophy
Villa Maria Cellar Selection GIMBLETT GRAVELS Hawke’s Bay Grenache 2010
Exhibition White or Sparkling Wine Class
Villa Maria Single Vineyard Omahu Gravels Viognier 2010
Exhibition Red Wine Class
Vidal Legacy Series GIMBLETT GRAVELS Syrah 2009 – Trophy
Vidal Reserve GIMBLETT GRAVELS Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2007
Villa Maria Reserve Hawke’s Bay Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot 2007
September/October
Five Nations Wine Challenge
Mills Reef’s Elspeth Merlot 2010 has won the Merlot and Carmenere Trophy at the prestigious Five Nations Wine Challenge.
In doing so, the wine beat off the challenges of wines from Argentina, Australia, Chile and South Africa; wines that had been selected by prominent wine judges from each of those countries.
The Merlot and Carmenere category was dominated by NZ wines with Villa Maria’s GIMBLETT GRAVELS Reserve Merlot 2009 and 2010 awarded gold and double gold medals, respectively.
Other GIMBLETT GRAVELS wines in the NZ squad, selected by Bob Campbell MW, to achieved gold medals were as follows:
Major Red Varietals Class
Kidnapper Cliffs Pinotage 2010 – Double Gold
Other Red Varietals Class
Villa Maria Reserve Grenache 2007 – Double Gold
Shiraz/Syrah Class
Villa Maria Reserve Syrah 2010 – Double Gold
Hawke’s Bay A&P Mercedes Benz Wine Awards
GIMBLETT GRAVELS red wines won 6 trophies and 13 gold medals , including the coveted prizes of Champion and Reserve Champion Wines of Show.
For the eight time in the award’s twelve year history, Syrah was the star, with Esk Valley Winemakers Reserve GIMBLETT GRAVELS Syrah 2010 (RRP NZ$ adjudged the Champion Wine of Show. Reserve Champion Wine of Show was awarded to Sacred Hill’s Merlot predominant blend, Brokenstone 2010.
Both wines won their respective class trophies with Te Awa’s Cabernet Merlot 2009 winning the Cabernet predominant class and Best Export Wine of Show trophies.
The full list of gold medal winners is detailed below:
Merlot Class
Villa Maria Reserve Merlot 2009
Cabernet Predominant Class
Babich The Patriarch 2010
Te Awa Cabernet Merlot 2009 – Class Trophy and Best Export Wine of Show
Merlot Predominant Class
Esk Valley Winemaker’s Reserve Merlot Malbec Cabernet 2010
Newton Forrest Cornerstone 2010
Sacred Hill Brokenstone Merlot 2010 – Class Trophy and Reserve Champion Wine of Show
Sacred Hill Orange Label Merlot Cabernet 2011
Sacred Hill Halo Merlot Cabernet 2011
Syrah Class
Crossroads Winemaker’s Collection Syrah 2010
Esk Valley Winemaker’s Reserve Syrah 2010 – Class Trophy and Champion Wine of Show
Villa Maria Cellar Selection Syrah 2010
Museum Class
Sacred Hill Helmsman Cabernet Merlot 2007
Squawking Magpie Stoned Crow Syrah 2008
Spiegelau International Wine Competition
Vidal Reserve Series Syrah 2010 won Champion Syrah and Wine of Show trophies. The following GIMBLETT GRAVELS wines won gold medals:
Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot Class
Villa Maria Reserve Hawkes Bay Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2009
Shiraz/Syrah Class
Vidal Reserve Series Hawkes Bay Syrah 2010
New Zealand International Wine Show
Crossroads Winemakers Collection Syrah secured the NZ Champion Syrah trophy with gold medals being awarded to the following GIMBLETT GRAVELS wines:
Chardonnay Class
Mission Estate Jewelstone Chardonnay 2010
Merlot Class
Esk Valley Winemakers Reserve Merlot Malbec Cabernet Sauvignon 2010
Vidal Reserve Series Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon 2010
Syrah/Shiraz Class
Crossroads Winemakers Collection Syrah 2010
Esk Valley Winemakers Reserve Syrah 2010
Villa Maria Cellar Selection Syrah 2010
International Red Wines Class
Beach House Montepulciano 2010
August
Romeo Bragato Wine Awards 2012
GIMBLETT GRAVELS wines from the outstanding 2009 and 2010 vintages continued to demonstrate their quality, winning all four available full bodied red wine trophies at the 2012 Bragato Wine Awards. These awards are unique in the Wine Show calendar in that they recognise the growers aswell as the wines.
TOM McDONALD MEMORIAL TROPHY AND CHAMPION CLASSICAL RED WINE
Mills Reef Elspeth GIMBLETT GRAVELS Cabernet Merlot 2010
Mere Road – Hawke’s Bay
Paul McEvoy
CHAMPION MERLOT
Villa Maria Reserve Hawkes Bay Merlot 2009
Omahu Gravels Vineyard – Hawke’s Bay
Phil Holden
ALAN LIMMER TROPHY AND CHAMPION SYRAH
Mills Reef Elspeth GIMBLETT GRAVELS Syrah 2010
Trust Vineyard – Hawke’s Bay
Paul McEvoy
CHAMPION OTHER RED WINE
Villa Maria Reserve GIMBLETT GRAVELS Malbec 2009
Omahu Gravels Vineyard – Hawke’s Bay
Phil Holden
Gold medals were also awarded to the following wines:
Other White Wines
Villa Maria Single Vineyard Omahu Gravels Viognier 2010 – Phil Holden
Cabernet Sauvignon/predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon blends
Mills Reef Elspeth GIMBLETT GRAVELS Cabernet Merlot 2010
Cabernet Sauvignon/predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon blends
Villa Maria Reserve Hawkes Bay Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2008 – Phil Holden
Merlot/predominantly Merlot blends
Villa Maria Reserve Hawkes Bay Merlot 2009
Other Red Wines
Villa Maria Reserve GIMBLETT GRAVELS Malbec 2009 – Phil Holden
Syrah
Esk Valley Winemakers Reserve Hawkes Bay Syrah 2010 – Bob Newton
Mills Reef Elspeth GIMBLETT GRAVELS Syrah 2010
May
Two of the world’s most prestigious, and, arguably, toughest, wine competitions, the Decanter World Wine Awards and London International Wine Challenge, have awarded the highest accolades to GIMBLETT GRAVELS wines from both the 2009 and 2010 vintages.
Decanter World Wine Awards 2012
Vidal Legacy Series GIMBLETT GRAVELS Syrah 2009 (RRP NZ$70) has been awarded the Decanter Regional Trophy for New Zealand Red Rhone varietals over GBP10.
London International Wine Challenge 2012
Gold medals have been awarded to Mills Reef for two, 2010 vintage, wines, namely, Mills Reef Elspeth Merlot 2010 and Mills Reef Elspeth Syrah 2010 (both wines RRP NZ$45).
Mills Reef were subsequently awarded the prestigious London International Wine Challenge New Zealand Syrah trophy for their 2010 Elspeth Syrah.
February / March
Sydney International Wine Competition 2012
Trinity Hill is the toast of Sydney having secured Champion Red Wine and Wine of Show for their 2010 GIMBLETT GRAVELS Syrah in the prestigious 2012 Sydney International Wine Competition. 4 of their further GIMBLETT GRAVELS wines achieved Blue Golds and being ranked in the top 100 wines out of over 2000 entered.
The GIMBLETT GRAVELS wines accoladed are as follows:
Top 100 and Blue Gold Winners
2010 GIMBLETT GRAVELS Syrah – CHAMPION RED WINE AND OVERALL WINE OF SHOW
2010 GIMBLETT GRAVELS Tempranillo
2010 GIMBLETT GRAVELS Viognier
2010 Hawkes Bay Merlot
Blue Gold winner
2010 GIMBLETT GRAVELS Noble Viognier
Royal Easter Show Wine Awards 2012
The first of the 2012 domestic wine shows has taken place with the medal and trophy results announced. GIMBLETT GRAVELS wines continued their dominance in the fuller bodied reds classes with one trophy (Champion Merlot) and seven gold medals:
Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot Predominant Blends Class
Vidal Legacy Series GIMBLETT GRAVELS Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2009
Merlot Class
Villa Maria Reserve GIMBLETT GRAVELS Hawkes Bay Merlot 2010 – CHAMPION MERLOT TROPHY
Villa Maria Reserve Hawkes Bay Merlot 2009
Syrah Class
Crossroads Vineyard Selection Syrah 2009
Esk Valley Winemakers Reserve GIMBLETT GRAVELS Syrah 2010
Vidal Legacy Series GIMBLETT GRAVELS Syrah 2009
Villa Maria Reserve Hawkes Bay Syrah 2010