by John Hancock
Back in 1999, we decided that we should do some trials in the vineyard, followed by winemaking trials, to see how low we could go with crop levels before it stopped having an effect on wine quality. The general view is that the lower the fruit yields, the better the potential quality of the resulting wine.
This is very simplistic and does not take into account various other variables, most notable of which is the weather over the growing season. For example, most high quality vintages in Bordeaux, are not the low yielding ones but they are mainly warmer growing seasons, where the vine is able to fully ripen a larger crop.
Nevertheless, from our experience here, most seasons produce the highest quality wines with lower yields. Our question was “How low”? We did some trials over the next 3 years, which resulted in the first wine in 2002 that we felt reflected the results of our work. We came to the conclusion that going any lower than 1 tonne per acre (about 17 Hl/Ha) did not give better wine quality.
We felt strongly that we got a big improvement in texture, concentration of flavour and colour, in stages, by reducing from a normal 4 tonne per acre in increments down to 1 tonne per acre. Below that, our view was that all that happened was that we harvested less grapes.
Our passion at Trinity Hill is wine from the Northern Rhone region of France, particularly Hermitage and Cote Rotie. One of the people who put this part of France on the map internationally with his tireless international promotion of these wines, was Gerard Jaboulet of Paul Jaboulet Aine. I was fortunate enough to work a harvest with Gerard at his family’s winery in Tain l’Hermitage in 1996. He was also a great friend of our partners in London, the Wilsons. We consider him a great influence on what we do. Unfortunately Gerard died in 1997. We decided to dedicate the wine that was the result of our work to his memory. We called it Homage in his honour. It is the best expression of Syrah in our terroir that we can do, based on our oldest vines.
Homage Syrah is listed in some of the world’s very top restaurants (2 out of the world’s top 10) and has received many accolades in a very short space of time. It is regarded as New Zealand’s top Syrah.
We will only release wines if we think it is up to our high standards. From the first release until the current 2011 production, we will only release wines from 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2010. 2011 is still being considered.
Back in 1999, we decided that we should do some trials in the vineyard, followed by winemaking trials, to see how low we could go with crop levels before it stopped having an effect on wine quality. The general view is that the lower the fruit yields, the better the potential quality of the resulting wine.
This is very simplistic and does not take into account various other variables, most notable of which is the weather over the growing season. For example, most high quality vintages in Bordeaux, are not the low yielding ones but they are mainly warmer growing seasons, where the vine is able to fully ripen a larger crop.
Nevertheless, from our experience here, most seasons produce the highest quality wines with lower yields. Our question was “How low”? We did some trials over the next 3 years, which resulted in the first wine in 2002 that we felt reflected the results of our work. We came to the conclusion that going any lower than 1 tonne per acre (about 17 Hl/Ha) did not give better wine quality.
We felt strongly that we got a big improvement in texture, concentration of flavour and colour, in stages, by reducing from a normal 4 tonne per acre in increments down to 1 tonne per acre. Below that, our view was that all that happened was that we harvested less grapes.
Our passion at Trinity Hill is wine from the Northern Rhone region of France, particularly Hermitage and Cote Rotie. One of the people who put this part of France on the map internationally with his tireless international promotion of these wines, was Gerard Jaboulet of Paul Jaboulet Aine. I was fortunate enough to work a harvest with Gerard at his family’s winery in Tain l’Hermitage in 1996. He was also a great friend of our partners in London, the Wilsons. We consider him a great influence on what we do. Unfortunately Gerard died in 1997. We decided to dedicate the wine that was the result of our work to his memory. We called it Homage in his honour. It is the best expression of Syrah in our terroir that we can do, based on our oldest vines.
Homage Syrah is listed in some of the world’s very top restaurants (2 out of the world’s top 10) and has received many accolades in a very short space of time. It is regarded as New Zealand’s top Syrah.
We will only release wines if we think it is up to our high standards. From the first release until the current 2011 production, we will only release wines from 2002, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2010. 2011 is still being considered.