Gimblett Gravels 2014 Annual Vintage Selection

The Gimblett Gravels 2014 Annual Vintage Selection has been announced. Every year, the Gimblett Gravels Winegrowers Association releases a selection of 12 wines deemed to be the top dozen of an independent tasting, showcasing the vintage as seen in the Gimblett Gravels winegrowing district. The selection is a snapshot of the vintage and charts the development and evolution of the delimited vignoble. www.gimblettgravels.com

The Annual Vintage Selection was first made with the 2008 vintage wines, and 2014 is the seventh year of this initiative. The selections have been made by Sydney-based Andrew Caillard MW from the start, and this year he was joined by Australian wine writer and commentator Mike Bennie. This overseas and independent perspective gives added credence to the belief in the quality of the wines. This year, Andrew Caillard described the wines as “outstanding” and they had “the aromatic complexity, substance and mineral length to develop in the cellar”. Mike Bennie said the wines delivered “power and concentration of fruit with clear carriage of regional personality”.

A record 51 wines were in for the selection process. The 12 wines are chosen from Blended Reds and Syrahs. Of particular interest is the proportion of wines of each style selected every year, possibly indicating the relative strength of each style in that vintage. Here are the numbers of each style selected in the years to date:

2008: 5 Bordeaux/Blended Reds, 7 Syrah

2009: 8 Bordeaux/Blended Reds, 4 Syrah

2010: 9 Bordeaux/Blended Reds, 3 Syrah

2011: 8 Bordeaux/Blended Reds, 4 Syrah

2012: 5 Bordeaux/Blended Reds, 7 Syrah

2013: 7 Bordeaux/Blended Reds, 5 Syrah

2014: 5 Bordeaux/Blended Reds, 7 Syrah

 

Here is the 2014 Annual Vintage Selection (in alphabetical order):

 

Craggy Range ‘Sophia’

Mission ‘Jewelstone’ ‘Antoine’

Squawking Magpie ‘SQM’ Cabernets/Merlot

Trinity Hill ‘The Gimblett’

Villa Maria ‘Reserve’ Merlot

 

Sacred Hill ‘Deerstalkers’

Squawking Magpie ‘Stoned Crow’
Trinity Hill ‘Gimblett Gravels’

Vidal ‘Reserve’

William Murdoch

 

The Gimblett Gravels Winegrowers Association send out a limited number of Annual Vintage Selection packs to key wine media and influencers around the world for their review. I was privileged the receive last year’s selection. My reviews can be seen by clicking here