Gimblett Gravels: From wasteland to celebrated wine region

Little more than 150 years ago, the Gimblett Gravels Wine Growing District was completely under water. Prior to 1867, the now trademarked, highly sought-after sub-region of Hawke’s Bay was simply the Omahu channel of the Ngaruroro river.

But that year, a flood moved the channel north to the other side of Roy’s Hill, where it flows to this day, leaving an extensive plain of river gravel that can be more than 30m deep.

Too bony and barren to be of much use for farming, the gravel became the sort of wasteland that housed an army rifle range, a landfill site and industrial warehouses. Absolutely no one thought about high-quality wine production.

But in the early 1980s, Chris Pask planted a small block of Cabernet Sauvignon – a variety that struggled to ripen elsewhere in New Zealand. A handful of others soon followed, including soil scientist Alan Limmer, who planted a row of heritage Syrah cuttings he’d rescued from a government research station.

Scroll down for notes and scores for 10 sophisticated wines from Gimblett Gravels

Pask, Limmer and fellow pioneers saw the potential of the Gravels. The warmth of the sun was absorbed by the brown river stones, and the low-lying inland location meant that warm temperatures arrived earlier in the day and stretched longer into the night.

This elongated the growing season and enabled ripening of varieties that previously had all too often produced mean and green wines.

Aiming to have the Gravels zoned for the purposes of viticulture, the wine-growers were soon embroiled in a lengthy legal battle with a quarry company that had bought 150ha of the land, but the growers finally prevailed on appeal in 1992.

Just 20ha were planted at this point, but other producers were taking note of the quality of the Bordeaux-style blends and Syrah emerging, and plantings gathered pace.

Climate credentials

Hawke’s Bay is one of New Zealand’s warmer wine regions, though that’s very much within a cool-climate context – its moderate, maritime-influenced climate is akin to that of Bordeaux. Sunshine hours are high, but tempering sea breezes ensure days above 30°C are relatively rare.

Gimblett Gravels isn’t the only sub-region of Hawke’s Bay to produce quality reds – Havelock Hills and Bridge Pa Triangle both have pedigree in that regard – but its uniqueness resides in its combination of soils and climate.

At about 15km inland and 30m above sea level, the reduced maritime influence and the impact of Roy’s Hill sheltering it from cooler southwesterly winds combine to add a few degrees to the maximum daytime temperatures.

This warmth and sunshine, aligned with the very stony, very free-draining soils (irrigation is essential here), create what longtime Gravels vigneron Steve Smith MW of Smith & Sheth calls a ‘thermal blanket for the vines’.

Church Road winemaker Chris Scott concurs, observing: ‘In an unpredictable Roaring Forties island climate, the very low water-holding capacity of those gravels is a great leveller in wetter seasons – not just in terms of reducing dilution, but with less humidity, canopy density and vineyard-floor growth, everything dries out faster. There’s less disease pressure and more chance of achieving optimal ripeness, which is further enhanced by the soils retaining the day’s heat for longer at night.’

The aromatic freshness of Gimblett Gravels wines, allied with their great concentration and finesse, is a sought-after combination: the proverbial ‘iron fist in a velvet glove’, as Smith describes it.

Gimblett Gravels at a glance

First planted: 1981

Area under vine: 800ha

Soils: Deep river gravels with sandy pockets, getting siltier with increasing proximity to the present-day river course

Red grapes (90%): 35% Merlot, 20% Syrah, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Malbec, 4% Cabernet Franc, plus Grenache, Montepulciano and Tempranillo among others

White grapes (10%): Mostly Chardonnay, then Viognier, plus Arneis, Gewurztraminer, Marsanne, Roussanne and Riesling

Generic body: The Gimblett Gravels Winegrowers Association was formed in 2001 and has 24 members

Trademark protection

Gimblett Gravels growers soon realised that their area needed both protection and promotion. In 2001, they came together as the Gimblett Gravels Winegrowers Association (GGWA) and trademarked the Gimblett Gravels Wine Growing District.

At that time, New Zealand’s Geographical Indications Registration Act was in development, and its delineations were based upon geopolitical boundaries and physical attributes such as roads or rivers, not soil types.

International trademark law was viewed as bestowing greater protection, while also allowing the GGWA to set stricter rules. Wines bearing the Gimblett Gravels name and/or logo must have 95% of their fruit from the district, compared with a GI’s 85%.

Members must own a vineyard in the district and vineyards must have 95% of their soils classified as one of three official soil types.

The district has since been designated a ‘special character zone’ by the local council, which would allow it to become a GI in due course, but the members are reluctant to abandon their stricter provenance rules.

The 24 members promote one another’s wines in the market, participate in an independently selected Annual Vintage Selection that’s sent out to global influencers, and they benefit from a technical committee aimed at enhancing wine quality.

Eight Gimblett Gravels producers to know

Blank Canvas

A partnership in wine and life, Blank Canvas is the label and ‘vinous studio’ of former Saint Clair winemaker Matt Thomson and his wife Sophie Parker-Thomson MW, who source grapes from renowned sites all over New Zealand, making stylish, expressive single-vineyard wines.

Since 2017, they’ve made Syrah from the 2.4ha Element vineyard, the Gimblett Gravels’ smallest, which they sometimes co-ferment with Grüner Veltliner skins to enhance the white pepper characteristics.

blankcanvaswines.com

Chateau Garage

Former Villa Maria chief viticulturist Ollie Powrie’s own label, made (obviously) in his (pretty-stylish) garage, this is a tiny label that takes its wines seriously while not taking itself seriously.

Powrie sources Cabernet Sauvignon from the Cornerstone vineyard and uses it to make three very different styles, including the flagship Hugo, named for his brother.

chateaugarage.co.nz

Church Road

Founded in 1897, Church Road is one of New Zealand’s oldest wineries and was the first to produce Bordeaux-style wines in Hawke’s Bay, under the pioneering winemaking of Tom McDonald.

These days, Chris Scott makes wines across six ranges, from vineyards spanning Hawke’s Bay, sourcing Syrah and Bordeaux varieties from the Gimblett Gravels.

church-road.com

Craggy Range

Craggy Range has firmly established itself as one of New Zealand’s globally renowned wineries (and cellar doors). Its principal production winery is in the Gimblett Gravels, where it has 106ha planted to Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet and others, including significant plantings of Chardonnay, with more planned.

Craggy Range also has vineyards in Martinborough and Marlborough.

craggyrange.com

Elephant Hill

The beautiful Elephant Hill winery is located in coastal Te Awanga, also home to the vineyard that provides the fruit for the ‘sea’ wines in its Elements range. The ‘earth’ vineyard is in Bridge Pa Triangle, while ‘stone’ is the designation of its Gimblett Gravels vineyard, planted to Syrah, Cabernets Sauvignon and Franc, Merlot and Malbec.

The winery produces a wide array of sophisticated wines from across the three sub-regions under the guidance of longtime Hawke’s Bay winemaker Hugh Crichton, formerly of Vidal Estate.

elephanthill.co.nz

Smith & Sheth

Steve Smith MW may be familiar due to his work in establishing Craggy Range. He’s now collaborating with US investor and conservationist Brian Sheth as Aotearoa New Zealand Fine Wine Estates.

They own Pyramid Valley, Lowburn Ferry and Smith & Sheth, whose Cru wines are their take on a ‘modern négociant’. They source Cabernets Sauvignon and Franc, Syrah, Tempranillo and Chardonnay from 3.12ha on the Gimblett Gravels.

smithandsheth.com

Stonecroft

Synonymous with Syrah and the Gimblett Gravels, original owner Alan Limmer established his pioneering winery in 1982, planting the region’s first Syrah vineyards with vines propagated from plants derived from James Busby’s original 1833 clones and then imported from Australia, around 1900, by viticulturalist Romeo Bragato.

Now farming organically, with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel, Viognier, Gewurztraminer and Chardonnay in addition to the Syrah on its 7.8ha, Stonecroft was very recently purchased by Fistonich Family Wines, the new company of Villa Maria founder Sir George Fistonich.

stonecroft.co.nz

Trinity Hill

Founded in 1993, Trinity Hill is a Gimblett Gravels pioneer and its 45ha of vineyards produce a smorgasbord of wines from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Syrah and Chardonnay, as well as smaller plantings of varieties including Tempranillo, Montepulciano, Marsanne, Roussanne, Arneis and Viognier.

Recent years have brought various ownership travails (now resolved), but the viticultural and winemaking teams never wavered in their commitment to making characterful, high-quality wines.

trinityhill.com

Grapes and styles

The Gimblett Gravels’ 800ha is 90% red varieties and 10% whites. Merlot and Syrah then Cabernet Sauvignon dominate the red plantings (see box, above). The whites are mainly Chardonnay, then Viognier, alongside tiny plantings of other grapes. This mix has remained relatively stable, barring a slow increase in Chardonnay for the whites and a slight decline in Merlot for the reds.

The lack of high temperatures and the very low-vigour, free-draining environment means vines concentrate their efforts on fruit over vegetation, delivering fragrant yet dense, well-structured wines.

They aren’t necessarily big, however – and the stony soil means they can sometimes lack flesh or have blocky tannins, though growers have become adept at managing vineyards and fermentation processes to ameliorate this.

‘Wines are typically dark-fruited with brooding density yet retain fragrance and freshness,’ says Scott. ‘The solid tannin structure drives textural length and ageability if handled well. Picking decisions are crucial; there’s a narrow window and Brix [sugar content of the grapes] is not a particularly reliable indicator.’

Smith thinks the reds have a distinctive character that includes ‘sandalwood, iodine, iron filings and a feeling of gravel’. At Craggy Range, they call this mineral/hot stone element ‘Gimblett dust’.

Gimblett Gravels: know your vintages

2022: A benign spring followed by a warm, wet summer. A pre-harvest dry spell saved the day, though sporadic rain kept viticulturists on their toes. 3.5/5

2021: An early harvest after a long, warm and settled growing season, slightly drier than average. Beautifully balanced wines, enjoyable now but will age. 5/5

2020: The lockdown harvest. An early season with dry, warm, settled growing conditions, produced pristine fruit. Drinking well now, but wines are built to cellar. 5/5

2019: A wet spring turned into a warm, humid early summer then a long, dry Indian summer. Exceptional conditions allowed grapes to be harvested at optimal ripeness. Ageworthy wines. 5/5

2018: A tricky year with a warm, wet spring and drier, very hot early summer; late summer brought rain and high humidity, but was more settled just before harvest. Ready now. 3/5

Dark horse

Veteran Gimblett winemaker Warren Gibson (pictured, above), of Bilancia and Trinity Hill, thinks the district’s Chardonnays are its dark horse. He explains: ‘They’re not flamboyant or fruit-forward but far more Burgundian, textural and very interesting.’

Both agree that despite Gimblett Gravels gaining increased traction for the quality and character of its wines, the region still faces an uphill battle given the tiny quantities and ultra-competitive global market for the styles.

New Zealand Syrah, whose flagship examples hail from the district, has enjoyed critical acclaim for some time now, yet plantings across the country’s regions have stalled.

This is a familiar dynamic for almost all producers beyond those making Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc (and to a lesser extent Central Otago Pinot Noir), but it seems unlikely that this distinctive district, which less than two centuries ago didn’t even exist physically, will let such challenges stand it its way.

Gimblett Gravels: Jenkins’ pick of 10

Related articles

• New Zealand Pinot Noir: Vintage report and 40 new releases rated
• Decanter’s Dream Destination: Breckenridge Lodge, Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand
• New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc: Panel tasting results