Gimblett Gravels: A taste of the 2017 vintage

The British autumn heralds the arrival of the Gimblett Gravels annual vintage selection, a 12-bottle case that Master of Wine Andrew Caillard believes best represents the latest crop from this former river bed on the Heretaunga Plains in New Zealand’s Hawke’s Bay.

The 10th annual release – 2017 – is a case of wine in sheep’s clothing. Forget wooden boxes or polystyrene packaging, the selection is making its debut in a sleeve of sheep’s wool and composite cardboard. 100% recycled and biodegradable, it can be reused as a weed mat or blind-tasting baa-ags (sorry, I couldn’t help myself).In this less-than ideal season, there are a few debuts: US investor Brian Sheth and Kiwi Master of Wine Steve Smith’s eponymous label Smith & Sheth takes two of the 12 spots with both a Cabernet-based blend and a Syrah, while Elephant Hill’s prestige cuvée Airavata also makes the grade for the first time.The composition of the case is always telling. In warm and dry seaons, when the late-ripening Cabernet Sauvignon gets to the finish line, Bordeaux blends take the leading role, while Syrah tends to get a preference in cooler or wetter vintages (there were seven Syrahs in the 2012 annual release). In 2017 it’s six of one, half a dozen of the other to reflect the season of two halves.

See also: Bordeaux blends from around the world

Vintage conditions

Things started positively, with no frosts and a warm, very dry start to summer. But two days after Valentine’s Day, the loving feeling between the weather and the vineyards came to an end, with periodic rainfall, humidity and the remnants of two tropical cyclones descending on New Zealand on 4-5th April and 12-13th April.

During the southern hemisphere’s critical ripening period of March and April, New Zealand experienced low sunshine hours which, when combined with the wetter conditions, has resulted in lower alcohol levels as well as lots of peppery spice (rotundone) in the Syrah and herbal and green pepper notes (pyrazines) in the Cabernet-Merlot blends as well as some edgy tannins on occasion.

If this were Bordeaux, the producers would probably be calling it ‘a classic vintage’.

So 2017 is not up there with the best years ever, but many wines do have appealing aromas and a range of stylistic interpretations. Winemakers who have taken their foot off the extraction and oak pedals have crafted wines to be enjoyed in the medium term. The real superheroes in this vintage, however, are the vineyard workers for defying the elements.

Rebecca Gibb’s Gimblett Gravels 2017 verdict:

See also: Gimblett Gravels 2016