News

What a treat! Dreamy 2006 Gimblett Gravels Cabernet Merlot Malbec. Dark fruit flavours with subtle tobacco and spice characters mixed with silky tannins #gimblettgravels ... See MoreSee Less

1 week ago

Pulled from barrel to show at last night’s hawkesbaywineauction Pre-Tasting, it was a thrill to pour this incredible Gimblett Gravels Cabernet Sauvignon. Have your paddles up for Lot 2 on 13th September, this barrel is a beauty 🍷Squawking Magpie Wines Church Road Winery Elephant Hill Leveret Mills Reef Mission Estate Pask Winery and Cellar Door Smith & Sheth Trinity Hill Wines Unison Vineyard Villa Maria Estate ... See MoreSee Less

2 weeks ago

Posted @withregram • @christinakpickard Today I tasted through the 2022 Gimblett Gravels selection. It’s the 15th iteration of what is essentially a vintage assessment exercise—the best of the best—or, more accurately, the wines that the brilliant @andrewcaillardmw believes most clearly represent the vintage.

Gimblett Gravels is a warm stretch of Hawke’s Bay that, as the name suggests, boasts gravelly riverbed soils that yield distinctive wines (and also very smart marketing).

2022 was a challenging one, with super early bud burst and version, followed by rain and humidity at tricky times in the growing season. Nevertheless, the best producers still managed quality through careful viticulture and picking times. Here (and in comments) are my notes on the 2022 wines I tasted:

1) Church Road Malbec

A deep purple hue, this dishes up oodles of luscious blueberry and blackberry fruit with an underlying chocolatey oak note and dusty dried herbs/peppery spice characters. It’s a ripe, plump hug-in-a-glass style wine with soft edges and all the blue and black primary fruit notes you’d hope for in Malbec. It’s succulent with fine cat’s tongue tannins that wrap around the tongue but never overwhelm.
94 points

2) Mills Reef Reserve Merlot

This is a really lovely opportunity to see the Merlot varietal characters shine on their own. There’s a lift of plum, rhubarb and blackcurrant with a floral note, anise seed and a whiff of something like dried meat hanging from barn rafters. It lacks some of the depth and deep well of power that some of the more Cab/Syrah wines have but it’s moderate alcohol, firm chalky tannins, a lovely lift of acidity; transparency of variety.
93 points

3) Mission Reserve Merlot

Merlot’s plum and red fruit characters shine here, woven with notes more reminiscent of violets, sun-warmed herbs, ground nutmeg and cedar. There’s quite a firm grip to the sappy tannins, giving austerity on the palate. Still, the fruit weight is there, along with those secondary herb-and-spice notes, suggesting this should age gracefully for another decade or so.
92 points ... See MoreSee Less

1 month ago

Thanks @oz.clarke we rather like these reds too🍷 Posted @withregram • @oz.clarke With Hawkes Bay now fully recovered from the havoc caused by Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023 and enthusiastically proclaiming the 2025 vintage to be legendary, I took a look back at the Gimblett Gravels wines from 2022 to remind myself how good these NZ reds can be. Not for the first time I revelled in the Syrah wines, particularly a couple of absolute thrillers from Stonecroft, and I also got excited by the Malbecs and Cabernet Francs from producers like Esk Valley, Church Road and Trinity Hill. And , once again, I found myself thinking that there’s too much Merlot planted and it struggles to make really interesting wines ... See MoreSee Less

2 months ago

The best of the best! Announcing the Gimblett Gravels 2023 Annual Vintage Selection:-

• Church Road Grand Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot Cabernet Franc
• Čuvar Guardians Cabernet Merlot Malbec
• Mission Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon
• Squawking Magpie The Chatterer Merlot Malbec
• Elephant Hill Stone Syrah
• Stonecroft Organic Reserve Syrah

Six incredible wines! #gimblettgravels ... See MoreSee Less

2 months ago

Paddles up for an amazing cause!🍷 Tickets for the 33rd Hawke's Bay Wine Auction are now on sale via our website!

All tickets include:
✨ A 90 minute tasting session, where you can sample many of our auction wines and mix and mingle with Hawke’s Bay’s top winemakers
✨ A glass of VILAURA 2021 Hawke’s Bay Blanc de Blanc
✨ Delicious canapés by Dish Catering

🗓️ 12.30pm, Saturday 13 September | Toitoi - Hawke's Bay Arts & Events Centre

Every dollar raised on the day is donated to Cranford Hospice. ... See MoreSee Less

2 months ago

What a tasting! Gimblett Gravels stunners from 2023. Kudos to our incredible vignerons 👏 #gimblettgravels ... See MoreSee Less

2 months ago

A magical winter’s day in the Gimblett Gravels Wine Growing District ☀️ #gimblettgravels ... See MoreSee Less

2 months ago

Magical 🌟Matariki in @craggyrange Gimblett Gravels vineyard at 4.30 am this morning.. @hamlet2661 @dtpeabody @crmaryjeanne @david.peabody @craig.sims.735 @joannedeitch @frances__frances__ @hawkesbaywine @nzwinegrowers @gimblettgravels ... See MoreSee Less

2 months ago

Today’s the day! Gimblett Gravels wines on parade at @firstglassnz 7pm. Taste @chateaugaragenz @millsreefwinery_nz @paskwines @trinityhillwines 🍷 ... See MoreSee Less

2 months ago

Hello again Auckland! We’re back in town this week pouring Gimblett Gravels greats @firstglassnz 7pm Wednesday. Taste @chateaugaragenz @paskwines @millsreefwinery_nz @leveretestate @trinityhillwines 🍷 ... See MoreSee Less

2 months ago

Hello Auckland! Join us at @kampainz from 7pm this Friday 13th June to taste Gimblett Gravels greats from @cuvarwinery and @unisonvineyard 🍷 ... See MoreSee Less

3 months ago

Auckland peeps, we’re coming to you! Taste Gimblett Gravels goodness from Chateau Garage Leveret Mills Reef Trinity Hill Wines and Pask Winery and Cellar Door at First Glass Wines and Spirits on Wednesday 18th June, 7pm. See you there! ... See MoreSee Less

3 months ago

Behind the scenes at the @hawkesbaywineauction photoshoot. So much fun shooting with the talented @florencecharvin at incredible @hawthornehousehawkesbay #gimblettgravels ... See MoreSee Less

4 months ago

Posted @withregram • @trinityhillwines Our vines on the Gimblett Gravels are slowing down as the season shifts. Their leaves have turned a rich golden hue, a final show of beauty after a season of hard work and incredible fruit🍁🍂 #gimblettgravels ... See MoreSee Less

4 months ago

Perfumed and savoury, with very soft and smooth tannins. Sweet fruit flavours and lovely oak influences #gimblettgravels @squawking_magpie ... See MoreSee Less

4 months ago

Posted @withregram • @trinityhillwines One plunge a day keeps the dry cap away🍇

Thanks to the exceptional quality of our Gimblett Gravels fruit, we choose to hand-plunge our Syrah once a day. This gentle process carefully wets the cap, helping to unlock the rich colour, deep flavour, and fine tannin structure that makes our Syrah stand out🏆 ... See MoreSee Less

4 months ago

The camaraderie of vintage…an all-time favourite Gimblett Gravels harvest pic #throwback-image #gimblettgravels ... See MoreSee Less

5 months ago

Archive find! @stonecroftwinehb harvest many moons ago, with the legendary Alan Limmer doing the mahi #gimblettgravels ... See MoreSee Less

5 months ago

Back up in all its glory! Plus a ladder or two 😉 Fantastic to see our celebrated sign resurrected after taking a tumble #gimblettgravels ... See MoreSee Less

5 months ago

Hanging in there…#gimblettgravels ... See MoreSee Less

5 months ago

Posted @withregram • @carlgundersen Rows & Roads! Gimblett Gravels with its sea of vines
#gimblettgravels #nzwine #hbwine #hawkesbay #hawkesbaywine #vintage2025 ... See MoreSee Less

6 months ago

Posted @withregram • @hswineacademy Gimblett Gravels: Home of fine New Zealand wine.

The climate and soils here are perfect for red Bordeaux grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot but it LOVES Syrah and Chardonnay too.

More to come on helenasips.com

#NewZealandWine
#nzwine #gimblettgravels #BordeauxBlend #syrah #finewine #fridayvibes #thirstythursday #wine #winelover @nzwineeurope @nzwinegrowers @gimblettgravels @trinityhillwines @bilancianz @craggyrange @smithandsheth ... See MoreSee Less

6 months ago

Gimblett Gravels 2022 Annual Vintage Selection for breakfast? Yes please! #gimblettgravels ... See MoreSee Less

6 months ago

Hello vintage 2025! Heralding harvest Gimblett Gravels style with ‘ute-tray’ drinks #gimblettgravels ... See MoreSee Less

6 months ago