Syrah “Homage” Gimblett Gravels 2018 – Trinity Hill

The grapes to produce the Syrah “Homage” Gimblett Gravels Trinity Hill  were hand-harvested over a period of almost four weeks from the three individual sites, then de-stemmed and fermented as separate blocks. One parcel was fermented with 100% whole bunches and Viognier skins to enhance aromatics and structure. Each ferment was either hand-plunged or pumped over once daily during fermentation with a total time on skins ranging from 16 to 35 days. Majority of the parcels were aged in 228-litre French oak barriques for 12 to 15 months, of which 32% were new. One parcel was aged for eight months in a 5,400-litre French oak oval followed by a further six months in barriques. The individual wines were then blended and bottled.

The fruit was sourced from three company owned vineyards in the Gimblett Gravels sub-region of Hawkes Bay. The soils consist of deep river shingle deposited over time by the Ngaruroro River as it changed course. The exposed greywacke gravel stones absorb and re-radiate heat and are extremely free draining. These are perfect conditions for growing Syrah. The vines are largely 20-year-old mass selection clones.

Trinity holl was founded in 1993 by winemaker John Hancock together with Robert and Robyn Wilson, owners of The Bleeding Heart and The Don in London, Trinity Hill and has become a byword for quality and consistency. In 2021, Trinity Hill was bought by a group of New Zealand private investors who are passionate about the wine industry, including Director, Mitch Plaw and his business partners, Craig Turner, Mark Sandelin and Michael Nock. Winemaker Warren Gibson has been with Trinity Hill since 1997, he is in charge of the 80 hectares of vineyard owned by the Estate and knows Hawkes Bay and the Gimblett Gravels exceptionally well. Warren and his team make wines that show the best of what Hawkes Bay and the Gimblett Gravels can produce. The wines have an elegance, balance, drinkability and precision of flavour that makes them a joy to drink.