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 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 also in charge of the 80 hectares of vineyard owned by Trinity Hill and knows Hawkes Bay and the Gimblett Gravels exceptionally well. The wines reflect this. 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.

Gimblett Gravels

Trinity Hill was one of the first to plant grapes on the Gimblett Gravels in Hawkes Bay in 1993. The Gimblett Gravels, located on the former bed of the Ngaruroro River, is now a highly sought-after sub-region renowned for the quality of its wines, particularly those made from Syrah.

The Gimblett Gravels Syrah is made from fruit sourced from various vineyards in the sub-region, where the soils consist of deep greywacke gravels. A small percentage of Viognier skins was included to some batches during fermentation. The wine is elegant with cracked pepper and wild berry fruits balanced by good acidity. ‘The Gimblett’ is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and a little Tempranillo from two low-yielding vineyards. The wine has serious structure, with richness, power and lovely blackberry aromatics. The Gimblett Gravels Tempranillo, made in very small quantities, displays attractive bramble fruit aromas and has soft, velvety tannins.

The Gimblett Gravels Chardonnay is stunning and offers superb value. The 2020 vintage seriously impressed judges at the 2022 International Wine Challenge, being awarded the Champion White Wine Trophy. Beautiful natural acidity, wild-yeast fermentation and malolactic fermentation in 500 litre puncheons combine to create great complexity and structural balance. 11 months of oak ageing is followed by a further four months in tank on lees. Flavours of citrus, white flowers and ripe grapefruit accompany toasted cashew and roasted hazelnut. The Marsanne/Viognier blend is a first from New Zealand. It has a lovely nuttiness and a silky texture. Made with fruit from the ‘125 Gimblett Vineyard’, named after the road on which it lies in the heart of the Gimblett Gravels, the limited release eponymous Chardonnay is a powerful, multi-layered wine, and was the only New Zealand wine to be awarded a trophy at the 2022 International Wine & Spirit Competition.

Their most outstanding and most lauded wine is ‘Homage’, which is produced only in the very best years and in very limited quantities. First produced in 2002, it pays tribute to the late Gérard Jaboulet (a long-time friend of Robert, Robyn and John, who worked alongside Gérard in Tain L’Hermitage for the 1996 vintage) and is inspired by the wines of Côte-Rôtie. Flavours of blackberry, liquorice, black pepper and spice combine to give a wine that is elegant and powerful with great concentration.