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Harvest Detail:
20/3 – 23/04/06
Brix 22.5 to 25.3°
Total acidity 4.7 - 7.5 g/l
pH 3.35 to 3.66
Bottling Detail:
14.0% alcohol
5.5 g/l Total Acidity
3.70 pH
Bottled December 2007
Under the "Cabernet / Merlot " label: 1998 - 2004.
As "The Gimblett" 2005.
Richly flavoured red meats, game, including duck.
2008 - 2016.
This is fine wine for aging but also quite approachable in its youth.
May throw some sediment: decanting recommended.
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Elegant, powerful and concentrated, the five traditional varieties of Bordeaux, as grown in the Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay, further confirms the enormous potential of the Gimblett Gravels region of Hawkes Bay to produce world class Bordeaux-style red wines.
Merlot 57%, Cabernet Sauvignon 17%, Petit Verdot 15%, Cabernet Franc 6% and Malbec 5%.
Gimblett Stones, Gimblett Estate and Stockbridge Vineyards in the Gimblett Gravels sub-region of Hawkes Bay.
Soils consist of river shingle, deposited by the Ngaruroro River. These soils are extremely free draining and of low fertility, growing low vigour vines producing small crops of intensely coloured and flavoured grapes.
Root stock is mainly 101-14. Vines are planted at 1.5 x 2.0 metres, spur pruned, with fruiting / cordon wire at 700mm. Vertical shoot positioned.
Cropping level vary but we shoot thin befire flowering, crop thin just prior tp veraison and take out less advanced bunches at the end of veraison. We would average 6 - 7 tonnes/hectare.
2006 was a superb vintage in Hawkes Bay. A temperate summer was followed by a superb warm, dry Indian summer. This blessing allowed us to hang the fruit out until it was perfectly ripe, still retaining the typical varietal characters of the grapes.
Hand-picked fruit was destemmed without crushing into closed-top tanks for fermentation. Each variety was harvested and vinified separately. Pumping over and hand plunging with controlled aeration took place over the fermentation period to extract colour and tannin as gently as possible. A post- fermentation maceration of the wine with the skins took place for a further three weeks or so to soften the texture and structure of the tannins. Daily tasting determined the optimum time to press the skins. The whole vinification process was tailored to make the tannins accessible.
After a brief settling period to clarify the wine, it was put into small oak barrels, predominantly French, of which 40% were new. Regular three-monthly racking followed to clarify the wines. After some 18 months in barrel, the individual components were assessed and blended. The resulting blend was bottled in Decenber 2007.
Superb rich red.
Black fruits such as cassis and plum
The flavours of the black fruits are complemented by a mouth-filling structure and fine-grained texture.
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