28-Aug-2017
Following working at Chateau Angelus in the late 1990s, Toby Gillman returned to establish the Gillman Vineyard on family land at Matakana, which featured free-draining, iron-rich, volcanic clay soil, to make red wines with the style and quality of top Right Bank Bordeaux wines. The vineyard is tiny at 0.6 ha, and close-planted at a density of over 6,000 vines per hectare, to 63% Cabernet Franc, 34% Merlot and 3% Malbec. The wines to date have received critical acclaim from writers, and I have enjoyed them for their distinctive complex, savoury earthy flavours that seem to be a signature of many wines from the ‘Far North’. The size of the operation allows Toby hands-on and detailed attention to the viticulture and the winemaking. Here, I review the 2012 and 2011 releases, from what were fairly challenging years. www.gillmanvineyard.co.nz
