Gimblett Gravels’ Red Wines Head NZ Reviews

Media Release – for immediate release
Gimblett Gravels, 11 November 2011

Gimblett Gravels’ Red Wines Head NN Reviews By Master Of Wine
2009 ‘outstanding vintage’ – ‘…grab them while you can’

Since formation of the Gimblett Gravels Winegrowers Association in 2001, wines from the Gimblett Gravels district have won over 160 trophies and 450 gold medals in domestic wine competitions. Concurrently, a rating of 90 points or more (out of 100 points) from a respected international wine critic certainly helps to reinforce, in the global wine arena, this notable domestic success story and the message it conveys about the world-class quality of Gimblett Gravels wines.

So, when Master of Wine, Lisa Perrotti-Brown, writing for the prestigious Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate (issue 197, October 2011) awards twenty seven 2009 vintage red wines ratings of between 90 to 95 points, it can justifiably be claimed – as winemakers having been crowing from the moment the first red grapes were harvested – that Gimblett Gravels’ 2009 is an outstanding vintage and one of the finest to date.

Lisa recently concluded her detailed review of the 892 New Zealand wines, across different vintages, but 2009 vintage Gimblett Gravels red wines stood out, comprising 5 of the 7 wines ranked 94 points or more, including the top two rated wines at 95 points.

In addition, other recent outstanding international performances by 2009 Gimblett Gravels red wines include:

• 2 trophies and Red Wine of Show at the Five Nations Wine Challenge;
• Winestate Magazine Australasian Wine of the Year;
• outranking several First Growth 2008 vintage Bordeaux in a blind tasting held in Hong Kong;

As Chairman of the Gimblett Gravels Winegrowers Association, Nick Aleksich, comments: “2009 has confirmed all of our hopes, and more. The near perfect growing season, combined with our unique gravelly soils has created red wines which have achieved unprecedented reviews from around the world. These results are testament to the vision, dedication and commitment of our members to create world class wines from this extremely special place.

Our own research also shows that Gimblett Gravels wines not only deliver exceptional quality but represent incredible value compared to other regions around the world. The 2009 vintage wines are currently available on retail shelves and have the potential to reward over the next 10 years and far beyond. But they will be snapped up quickly so the recommendation is to grab them while you can.”

ENDS

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