The third annual Gimblett Gravels Annual Vintage Selection has been announced. This is a selection of the 12 top wines from the 2010 vintage from the Gimblett Gravels district as chosen by Andrew Caillard MW of Sydney. The selection is an interesting collection of wines which will be used in showcasing the 2010 vintage by the Gimblett Gravels Winegrowers Association, who will send out a limited number of the set of wines to key media and wine influential people around the world.
For 2008, Caillard selected five blended-reds and seven Syrah wines, while eight blended-reds and four Syrahs were selected to represent the 2009 vintage. The wines can be considered as an outsider’s internationally respected palate’s top picks of what the 800 ha region on the gravel soils of the Ngaruroro river can produce in a given year, and in essence is a snapshot of the wines, vintage and district. It is pleasing to see three-quarters of the dozen being blended-red wines based on the Bordeaux varieties, clearly performing well in a more difficult, late-ripening season. It can be surmised that the elegance of such wines is appreciated internationally.
