Country: New Zealand  Region: Hawkes Bay  Varietal: Syrah/Shiraz and Blends Vintage: 2010  Category: Red Wine Colour: Red Producer:Trinity Hill "Trinity Hill was one of the first to plant grapes on the Gimblett Gravels in Hawkes Bay in 1993. The Gimblett Gravels, planted 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 Gimblett Gravels, where the soils consist of deep greywacke gravels. A small percentage of Viognier was included in the blend. The relatively delicate wine surprises with its multi layered Syrah intensity, with cracked pepper and wild berry fruits balanced by good acidity. The ‘The Gimblett’ is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot off low cropping vineyards from Gimblett Estate, Gimblett Stones and Tin Shed. The wine has serious structure with richness and power and lovely blackberry aromatics. The Marsanne-Viognier blend is a first from New Zealand. It has a lovely nuttiness and a silky texture that makes it a great drink.Their most outstanding 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." Product Features: Sustainable;Vegan;Vegetarian Winemaker: Warren Gibson Vineyards: Fruit is sourced exclusively from the company owned Gimblett Estate and Gimblett Stones vineyards, situated in the Gimblett Gravels sub-region of Hawkes Bay. Soils consist of deep river shingle deposited over time by the Ngaruroro River as it changed course. The exposed greywacke gravel stones absorb and radiate heat and are extremely free draining, making exemplary conditions for the growing of Syrah. The final blend comprises 15 year-old Mass Selection Heritage clone vines along with a small percentage of new clone material of appropriate vine age. Vinification: Fruit was hand-harvested, then sorted, de-stemmed and lightly crushed to leave a large portion of complete berries. Fermentation took place in small stainless steel tanks. The cap was hand-plunged and/or pumped over twice daily for optimum colour and tannin extraction. A short maceration helped integrate the tannins, softening and stabilising the wine. It was aged in predominantly new French oak barriques for 15 months with some barrel stirring. Malolactic fermentation began in tank and finished in barrel. Tasting Notes: Powerful yet elegant and fragrant. Dense purple with complex red fruits on the nose. Blackberry and cassis mingle with liquorice, black pepper and spice. Great concentration and weight. The tight, tense structure will allow the wine to age gracefully. Food Suggestion: Enjoy this wine with lamb or game. Closure: DIAM Cork  ABV: 13.5%  Acidity [g/l]: 6.2