This wine is made from Estate grown grapes in the Tin Shed and Gimblett Stones vineyards. 

2013 was an exceptional year for red wine in Hawkes Bay. A fantastic warm summer was followed by a mild autumn with very few rain events. Hand-picked fruit was gently de-stemmed for fermentation. Each variety and vineyard parcel was harvested and vinified separately. Pumping over with controlled aeration took place during fermentation to gently extract colour and tannin. A post-fermentation maceration of up to three weeks helped improve the texture and structure of the tannins.

After a brief settling period for clarification, the wine was transferred to small French oak barrels of which 30 % were new. After 16 months in barrel, the individual components were assessed and blended. Bottled October 2014 

“The Gimblett” is traditionally made from a blend of grape varieties. The Cabernet family gives structure and fresh aromatics. Merlot gives richness and mid-palate weight with Petit Verdot helping with complexity, density and colour.

The result is a wine with beautiful aromatics that include ripe blackberry, fresh blackcurrant and dried herbs. Structurally the wine is complex, powerful and food-friendly when young. This structure will allow the development of further complexity over the next 10 years.