Trinity Hill Gimblett Gravels, Gimblett Gravels Marsanne/Viognier
Vintage: 2020
| Vintage | Product Code | Format | Closure | Availability |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | TR108B20 | 6 x 75 | Stelvin Lux | Available |
Producer
Founded in 1993, by winemaker John Hancock together with Robert and Robyn Wilson, owners of The Bleeding Heart Group and The Don in London, Trinity Hill is synonymous with quality and consistency. In 2021, Trinity Hill was bought by a group of New Zealand private investors passionate about the wine industry, including Director, Mitch Plaw and his business partners, Craig Turner, Mark Sandelin and Michael Nock.
Winemaker Warren Gibson has worked at Trinity Hill since 1997. Alongside his winemaking expertise, Warren also manages Trinity Hill’s 80 hectares of vineyards across Hawkes Bay and the Gimblett Gravels. He is well versed in these areas and this knowledge is reflected in his wines. Warren and his team show the best of what Hawkes Bay and the Gimblett Gravels can produce. These are wines defined by elegance, balance, drinkability and flavour precision, making them a joy to drink.
Hawkes Bay
Trinity Hill’s Hawkes Bay Chardonnay is beautifully balanced. The fruit is gently pressed, without crushing or de-stemming, before fermenting with indigenous yeasts. The resulting wine also undergoes full malolactic fermentation, followed by ageing in French oak barrels and is defined by aromas of citrus and white flowers combined with a rich, creamy texture. The Hawkes Bay Sauvignon Blanc is a blend of fruit from four subregions. It differs significantly from the ‘classic’ Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc expression, with gentle aromas and flavours of stone fruit and lime.
Trinity Hill’s red wines are, if anything, even more impressive. The Hawkes Bay Syrah is sourced from across Hawkes Bay, including Gimblett Gravels and the Red Metal Triangle. A short period ageing in oak helps retain its vibrant fruit profile, defined by wild blackberry, spice and delicious peppery notes. The Hawkes Bay ‘The Trinity’ is a Merlot-dominant blend supplemented by Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Malbec from various vineyards in Gimblett Gravels. This is an impressive wine with soft, ripe tannins and notes of plum, cassis, and spice. For the Hawkes Bay Pinot Noir, a small portion of the fruit undergoes whole-bunch fermentation, adding to the wine’s character and enhancing notes of fresh raspberry, plum and brambly spice with soft, velvety tannins.
Vineyards
This small production wine is grown on Trinity Hill's "Gimblett Stones" vineyard in the unique Gimblett Gravels Winegrowing region of Hawkes Bay. Within this 167 hectare vineyard, a small 0.5 hectare block is planted with a mix of white Rhone varietals: Marsanne, Rousanne and Viognier. The warmest of the three Trinity Hill vineyards, Gimblett Stones, is sheltered from prevailing weather by Roys Hill and protected from frost by the nearby new course of the Ngaruroro River. The Gimblett Gravels Winegrowing District, covering 800 hectares, is strictly determined by the gravelly soils laid down by the old Ngaruroro River, which was exposed after a huge flood in the 1860's.
Vintage
The 2020 vintage can be characterised as a typical Hawkes Bay season, with long, hot days combined with moderate, cool nights. As Autumn arrived, the season became cooler yet remained dry, providing ideal ripening conditions whilst preserving natural acidity.
Vinification
The fruit was hand-harvested prior to arrival at the winery where it was gently whole-bunch pressed and settled in tank overnight. Fermentation took place in a range of aged 228 litre French oak barriques and malolactic fermentation was discouraged post-fermentation to retain the wine's natural acidity and preserve Marsanne's delicate aromatics and perfume. After ageing on yeast lees for 17 months, the wine was blended in September 2021, before being filtered and bottled in October 2021 with no fining.
Tasting Notes & Technical Details
The Viognier provides exotic aromatics of apricot, musk and jasmine and a luscious texture. Marsanne provides gentle honeysuckle flavours as well as structure and tension to balance the fullness of the Viognier.
Alcohol (ABV)
14%
Acidity
5.9 g/l
Residual Sugar
0.67 g/l
pH
3.28
Other wines from this producer
Producer | Wine | Product Code | Features | Style | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gimblett Gravels | Gimblett Gravels Chardonnay | TR107 | W | Factsheet | |
| Gimblett Gravels Syrah | TR110 | R | Factsheet | ||
| `The Gimblett` Gimblett Gravels | TR111 | R | Factsheet | ||
| `125 Gimblett` Gimblett Gravels Chardonnay | TR151 | W | Factsheet | ||
| Hawkes Bay | Hawkes Bay Sauvignon Blanc | TR101 | W | ||
| Hawkes Bay Chardonnay | TR103 | W | |||
| Hawkes Bay Pinot Noir | TR104 | R | |||
| Hawkes Bay Syrah | TR105 | R | Factsheet | ||
| `The Trinity` Hawkes Bay | TR106 | R |