Gravel. Gravelly loam. Alluvium. Hang around with winegrowers long enough and you’re bound to hear these words, often in conjunction with praise for their contributions to that elusive notion of terroir.
In point of fact, some of the world’s most lauded wines owe their particular character to gravel—think names such as Haut-Brion, Latour, Lafite, Mouton Rothschild, and Margaux.
Nature ensures that alluvial gravel soils are found everywhere around the world, but there are certain special places where their concentration and consistency coincide with the ideal climate for grapes, and in these places, magic can happen.
One of those places is the eastern side of New Zealand’s North Island. There, where Heretaunga Plains back up against the foothills of the Kaweka mountains, the vineyards sprawl in wide swaths, interrupted by small streams and hillocks buffeted by breezes off of Hawke’s Bay, in a region that has been dubbed the Gimblett Gravels.
A Trademark, Not an Appellation
It might surprise many to know it, but the New Zealand government only formally developed and legalized its geographical indications, or wine appellations, in 2016. This is despite more than 100 years of winegrowing history and a modern wine industry that has grown steadily since the 1960s.
When the government did define the country’s wine regions, they chose to do so only with a broad brush, defining a mere 18 GIs, and ignoring the many sub-regional designations that had been in place for decades prior.
Winegrowers in New Zealand have long been frustrated with the lack of clearly defined appellations in the country, which is why in 2001 a bunch of growers got together and created the Gimblett Gravels Winegrowers Association.
Like other sub-regions of the area, such as Havelock and Esk Valley, people have been referring to the Gimblett Gravels as a distinct winegrowing area for decades. Without the benefit of a governmental designation, the folks at the GGWA did the next best thing. They went ahead and defined it themselves, exactly the same way that the government might have done.
The growers in the area sat down, argued for a long time about what should truly define the region, and then forged a consensus about the boundaries and definition of their place. Interestingly, they settled on defining the boundaries of the Gimblett Gravels strictly based on soil geology (a rarity in today’s world of highly political appellation definition).
While Gimblett Gravels® is a registered commercial trademark managed by its winegrowers association, it is managed with the same (or more) rigor as many standard appellations around the world. If you want to have the words Gimblett Gravels on your wine label, you have to have a vineyard within the boundaries of the designated region, with 95% of the vineyard area having any of three defined soil types, and 95% of the fruit needs to have come from within the district.
The “map” of the district has been drawn to only include the three types of gravelly silt and loam laid down by the Ngaruroro River and observes no other political, geographical, or property ownership distinctions, a point that the Gimblett Gravels Association likes to suggest lends something of a simple purity to their efforts. If you’ve got the soils, you’re in (provided you want to pay membership dues). If you don’t, you’re out.
There are around 1975 acres of vineyards that fall within the Gimblett Gravels zone, the vast majority of those (close to 90%) planted to red grapes, with Syrah and the Bordeaux varieties dominant.
The Annual Showcase in a Case
For the past 13 years, the winemakers in the Gimblett Gravels Association have been putting together a case of wines (selected via blind tasting by the Australian Master of Wine Andrew Caillard), to send out to journalists and critics around the world as an example of what the vintage was like in the region.
This is now the fourth year I’ve been receiving this vintage selection case and I remain impressed with the idea, and with the wines, which are generally delicious. More regions around the world should consider offering such snapshots to journalists who don’t have the chance to visit as often as they’d like.
So let’s talk about the twelve wines that showed up recently representing the 2022 vintage.
A Vintage With a Challenge
The 2022 vintage was what winemakers in their eternal optimism refer to as “memorable.” Funnily enough, that can sometimes be the descriptor for a vintage that winemakers would actually prefer to forget.
While I don’t think the growers in the Gimblett Gravels would get anywhere close to characterizing the 2022 growing year in those terms, they definitely will tell you that they had to work very hard to make it a success, thanks in part to an unseasonable amount of rain in a very hot February, shortly before the harvest in mid-March.
In fact, more than 10 inches of rain fell in February of 2022, a whopping 509% of the historical average for the month. The whole summer was generally rainier than usual, and also warmer than usual, providing the perfect conditions for a significant increase in disease pressure, which necessitated a lot of work in the vineyards and fairly draconian sorting in order to get clean fruit at harvest time.
The season began quite early, and slightly cooler than normal, but without any frost in the spring, making for a larger crop than average, though that abundance was reduced somewhat by heavy sorting in the end. The mid-to-late summer growing season was characterized by a record number of days above 30˚C / 86˚F, pushing the season to be one of the earliest in memory.
Interestingly to me, from a purely sensory perspective the wines come across as being from a relatively cool vintage. They have a stony firmness to them and a somewhat restrained expression of fruit that I normally associate with a colder-than-normal growing season.
The wines of the Gimblett Gravels are certainly not lush and overripe as a rule, but I find the 2022s to be leaner and more restrained than normal.
My favorite wines from the 2022 vintage are the Syrahs (though I tend to favor that variety from this region in most years). I think Syrah may adapt better to adverse conditions, and its flavor profile can work in a leaner, tighter form, as fruit melds with stony qualities. Cabernet and Merlot can end up a bit herbal and vegetal in challenging conditions, and somehow these flavors don’t appeal quite as much as the bluer notes of Syrah.
All of that said, I think these wines will likely be long-lived and will blossom considerably with time. For wine drinkers who enjoy a nice balance of savory, earthy, and stony notes as counterpoint to fruit, these wines will be very appealing. They speak beautifully of their stony home.
Tasting Notes
2022 Smith & Sheth “CRU – Heretaunga, Gimblett Gravels” Syrah, Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand
Dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of wet earth, wet pavement, and blackberries. In the mouth, stony flavors of blackberry and black cherry are wrapped in a muscular skein of tannins that gradually stiffens over time. Excellent acidity and low alcohol make this a very stony and mineral expression first, with fruit coming in second place. It will be interesting to see where this goes with time. Ages for 14 months in 35% new French oak. 12% alcohol. Closed with a screwcap. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $.
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2022 Esk Valley Gimblett Gravels Red Blend, Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand
Very dark garnet in the glass with purple highlights, this wine smells of chopped green herbs, blueberries, and wet earth. In the mouth, earthy flavors of blueberry and black cherry are wrapped in muscular tannins and have a nice juiciness thanks to excellent acidity. Stony, with notes of oak lingering in the finish along with those chopped herbs. A blend of 39% Malbec, 32% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 29% Merlot aged for 18 months in 40% new French oak. 13.5% alcohol. Certified sustainable. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $.
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2022 Trinity Hill “The Gimblett, Gimblett Gravels” Red Blend, Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand
Dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of black cherry, green herbs, and plums. In the mouth, smooth, supple fine-grained tannins wrap around a core of black cherry, plum, and blackberry shot through with a faint minty note that lingers with other fresh herbs in the finish. Stony and lean, with a very nice balance and excellent acidity. A blend of 80% Cabernet Franc and 20% Tempranillo aged for 24 months in 32% new French oak. 14.2% alcohol. Closed with a screwcap. Score: around 9. Cost: $.
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2022 Mills Reef Winery “Reserve, Gimblett Gravels” Merlot, Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand
Medium to dark garnet in color, this wine smells of black plum and black cherry with a hint of black tea. In the mouth, black tea and black cherry flavors have a nice orange-peel brightness to them as lively acidity keeps the saliva flowing. Notes of plum skin and dried herbs linger in the finish. Contains 0.68% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 0.01% Malbec. Ages for 12 months in 23.5% new French Oak. 13.5% alcohol. Closed with a screwcap. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $.
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2022 Mission Estate “Reserve, Gimblett Gravels” Merlot, Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand
Medium to dark garnet in color, this wine smells of mocha and plums. In the mouth, sweet oak melds with plum and black cherry fruit as lightly sandpapery tannins coat the palate. Excellent acidity and a hint of dried herbs in the finish round things out. Spends 12 months in 25% new French oak. 13.5% alcohol. Closed with a screwcap. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $.
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2022 Stonecroft “Reserve, Gimblett Gravels” Syrah, Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand
Medium to dark garnet in color, this wine smells of struck flint, blueberries, blackberries, and flowers. In the mouth, faintly saline flavors of blueberry and blackberry fruit are wrapped in a powdery, mouthcoating haze of tannins, as bright acidity makes for a mouthwatering package. Notes of white pepper linger in the finish, accentuated by the powdery texture of the tannins. Ages for 17 months in French oak. Certified organic. 13% alcohol. Closed with a screwcap. Score: around 9. Cost: $.
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2022 Church Road Winery “Single Vineyard – 1, Gimblett Gravels” Malbec, Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand
Inky, opaque purple in the glass, this wine smells of blueberries and wet earth. In the mouth, stony, earthy blueberry and dark black cherry flavors are tinged with a faint saline quality and wrapped in lovely, gauzy tannins that seem to hang suspended in the mouth. Seamless and quite pretty, with well-integrated wood. Contains 1% Syrah. Aged 18 months in 50% new French oak. 13.4% alcohol. Certified sustainable. Score: around 9. Cost: $.
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2022 Craggy Range “Le Sol, Gimblett Gravels” Syrah, Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand
Medium to dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of blackberries, blueberries, and wet pavement. In the mouth, juicy blueberry and blackberry fruit is wrapped in a supple fleecy blanket of tannins as stony, bright acidity keeps things very juicy and fresh. Quite pretty, with a hint of floral notes in the finish. Mouthwatering and refined. Spends 17 months in 45% new French and Austrian oak. 13% alcohol. Closed with a screwcap. Score: around 9. Cost: $.
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2022 Church Road Winery “Tom, Gimblett Gravels” Syrah, Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand
Dark garnet in color, this wine smells of struck match, blackberries, and blueberries. In the mouth, faintly saline flavors of blackberry and blueberry are wrapped in a muscular fleecy blanket of tannins that stiffens and squeezes the palate. Stony, earthy notes linger in the finish with a hint of black pepper. Very good acidity, but this one needs some time. Contains 6% Malbec. Spends 17 months in 31% new French oak. 13.1% alcohol. Certified sustainable. Score: around 8.5. Cost: $.
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2022 Squawking Magpie “The Nest, Gimblett Gravels” Red Blend, Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand
Dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of blackcurrant, black pepper, and blueberries. In the mouth, blackcurrant and blueberry flavors are juicy with bright acidity and wrapped in gauzy tannins. A citrus peel brightness marks the finish and leaves a stony quality lingering. A blend of 92% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Sauvignon and 1% Malbec. Aged for 18 months in 35% new French oak. 13.6% alcohol. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $.
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2022 Stonecroft “Serine Syrah, Gimblett Gravels” Syrah, Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand
Medium to dark garnet in the glass, this wine smells of struck match, smoked meat, and blackberries. In the mouth, blackberry and black cherry fruit has a nice peppery and slightly salty edge, as gauzy, powdery tannins coat the palate. Excellent acidity along with a nice stony minerality rounds out a very delicious package. Ages for 17 months in 20% new French oak. Certified organic. 12.5% alcohol. Closed with a screwcap. Score: around 9. Cost: $.
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2022 Villa Maria “Cellar Selection Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon, Gimblett Gravels” Red Blend, Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand
Dark garnet in color, this wine smells of wet earth and black cherry fruit. In the mouth, stony and earthy black cherry and black plum fruit have an extremely fine-grained texture with wispy tannins that hang in the background. A faint plum skin sourness lingers pleasantly in the finish along with a hint of dried herbs. A blend of 82% Merlot and 18% Cabernet Sauvignon aged for 15 months in 15% French oak with a small portion in American oak. 13% alcohol. Closed with a screwcap. Score: between 8.5 and 9. Cost: $.
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