The wait is over! Bravo to the outstanding wines chosen for the Gimblett Gravels® 2021 Annual Vintage Selection. On announcing the top 12, Andrew Caillard MW declared “the 2021 Gimblett Gravels® vintage will be remembered as one of the great vintages of all time.”
2021 marks 14 years of the top dozen (2008-2021), a carefully selected set of Gimblett Gravels® red wines, whose character has seen them adjudged the best by Sydney based Master of Wine Andrew Caillard. Distributed to wine influencers around the world, the Annual Vintage Selection tells the story of the 2021 vintage.
Andrew Caillard MW was thrilled with the calibre of the wines, saying, “I found an amazing consistency of quality across all producers and a really lovely diversity of character…a brilliant reflection on the Gimblett Gravels® wine community. This type of result can only be achieved through collaboration and shared ideals.” He applauded the producers for embracing sustainable practices, promoting biodiversity and a lower footprint in the Gimblett Gravels Wine Growing District®. This movement “has brought dividends beyond mitigation against climate change. The 2021 vintage exemplifies a beautiful balance between nurture and nature.”
Syrah was a standout, with Andrew commenting, “the climatic conditions and long sunshine hours allowed Syrah to show its full potential…the wines are showing wonderful aromatic complexity, richness of flavours and fine slinky tannin structures.”
Merlot excelled, with Andrew noting that while the variety seems to struggle outside its home origins, it has found “a rare bolt hole in Hawkes Bay and Gimblett Gravels® particularly.” The Bordeaux blends, “when dominated or supplemented with Merlot, are outstanding.”
Andrew commented that the 2021 vintage also showed the potential of Malbec as a single variety and its versatility in the blend. While Cabernet Franc worked in a similar way, with “the former giving density, the other giving attack.
Chairman of the Gimblett Gravels Winegrowers Association, Cameron Price commented “the 2021 vintage reinforces the theme that the camaraderie of Gimblett Gravels® producers sets them apart. Their collegiality behind the scenes, evolving viticulture and winemaking skills, has played a vital part in creating truly world class wines across the board.
The 2021 Annual Vintage Selection will comprise the following wines (in alphabetical order):
Blended reds (Bordeaux varieties) Craggy Range Sophia Elephant Hill Hieronymus Elephant Hill Stone Merlot, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon Mission Estate Jewelstone Antoine Saint Clair James Sinclair Malbec Squawking Magpie The Nest
Syrah Craggy Range Le Sol Pask Declaration Syrah Sacred Hill Deerstalkers Syrah Smith & Sheth CRU Omahu Syrah Stonecroft Gimblett Gravels Reserve Syrah Trinity Hill Homage
In the coming weeks, the 2021 Annual Vintage Selection will be presented to key opinion leaders throughout the world for their review.
