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2024Summer Village Cellars Wine Cataloguehttps://info.village-cellars.co.jp/Editorial/posts/TrinityHill－9－Gimblett Gravels, Hawke’s Bay, New ZealandSierra Foothills, CaliforniaThis latest vintage is highly acclaimed both domestically and internationally, including the first NZ Chardonnay to win the ‘Best White Wine’ award at the prestigious UK IWC2022. Concentrated fruit blends with rich natural acids for a finesse that combines vitality and suppleness. Silver Medal, NZ International Wine Show 2023In April, Bill Easton visited Japan for the first time in eight years and held a tasting seminar at the Village Cellars Ginza space. While running a wine shop in the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 1970s he became enamoured with Rhône wines, and began importing and selling them directly. In 1985 he finally started growing and making his own wines. In 2016 he became the fourth person to receive the Rhône Rangers Lifetime Achievement Award.Hawke’s Bay and Gimblett GravelsNestled on the east coast of the North Island, the Hawke’s Bay wine region is New Zealand’s oldest and second-largest wine-producing area. Since 1851, when missionaries planted the first vines, a diverse array of high-quality red and white grape varieties have been grown in the Bay, which is blessed with over 2,250 hours of sunshine annually - among the highest in New Zealand.Gimblett Gravels is the only wine region in the world demarcated by its soil type, and covers less than 0.06% of Hawke’s Bay. The district, nestled in the south-westerly shelter of Roy’s Hill, once formed the riverbed in a channel section of the old Ngaruroro River. Over centuries, weathered greywacke stone and gravel, carried from nearby mountains, gradually accumulated until the river diverted during the 1867 flood, unveiling the treasure trove beneath.The gravel-rich soil, characterized by its limited water retention capacity, prompts vines to yield small berries with concentrated flavour, colour, and ripe tannins. In addition, the exceptional heat-retention of the Gravels enables optimal ripening of various varietals in this cool-climate region. However, despite these viticultural virtues, the Gravels remained overlooked and unplanted until the 1980s, when visionary winemakers recognized the potential of this infertile land to nurture warmer-climate red varietals despite the region’s cool climate conditions.Trinity Hill and Warren GibsonTrinity Hill was one of the early pioneers in the region as it slowly earned recognition in the 1990s. Three partners, hence the name, established Trinity Hill in 1993, planted their first CODE12789Bill makes wine under two labels: ‘Terre Rouge’ (red earth) for Rhône varietals, and ‘Easton’ for other varietals such as old vine Zinfandel. He focuses on creating wine that expresses the land and climate, with the keyword ‘elevage’ which includes fermentation, tank, barrel, and bottle aging. He keeps structured, mineral-rich mountain wines in the winery for extended periods of time and then ages them in the bottle before release. His idea is to offer the market the vines in the Gimblett Gravels in 1994, and made their first wine in the purpose-built winery in 1997.Today, Trinity Hill has 42 hectares of estate vineyard across three locations in the Gimblett Gravels wine region and produces over 10 varietals. These include the winery’s iconic Syrah and Chardonnay, alongside Bordeaux varieties synonymous with Hawke’s Bay, and Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc which are ideally suited to broad sections of New Zealand. Their array of wines, spanning entry-level to super-premium single vineyard selections, have garnered a plethora of accolades, including trophies and gold medals, at esteemed competitions including the International Wine Challenge, Decanter Awards, and London Wine Competition.At the helm of Trinity Hill’s triumphs stands their Chief Winemaker, Warren Gibson. Although not among the founding trio, he has been an integral part of the journey since its inception. He joined Trinity Hill as the Chief Winemaker in 1997, bringing with him a decade of winemaking experience in New Zealand, Australia, Italy, Hungary, France, and California. He also heads the Viticultural Team and controls the vineyards, and the vintages he has produced since arriving at Trinity Hill have earned him the accolades of New Zealand Winemaker of the Year from Winestate Magazine in 2005 and Winemaker of the Year Award at the Mercedes Benz Hawke’s Bay Wine Show in 2006.SyrahSyrah, or Shiraz, is more broadly associated with warmer wine regions like Cote du Rhone and Australia, and unsurprisingly doesn’t always ripen in many parts of New Zealand. On the flip side, what does ripen has good acid, finely balanced tannins, Syrah from three Gimlet Gravels vineyards is fermented in separate parcels and aged for 12-15 months before being blended. It beautifully expresses the characteristics of Syrah from the appellation, with a complex texture, spice and a clean aftertaste. In some years they add Viognier, but 2021 is 100% Syrah. 96pts James SucklingCODE12689subtle complexity that comes from bottle aging. When we ran out of Ascent 2003 at the tasting, Bill offered to share some of the 2016, which Wine Enthusiast magazine gave 100 points. We were delighted with the wine, but Bill said, “it's still too young to drink… it will be at its best in 2026-2036.” Terre Rouge has been a regular recipient of the “Top 100 Wineries” award, selected annually by Wine & Spirits magazine from wine producers around the world, winning four years in a row from 2020 to 2023. (Published in Village Cellars “Wine Catalogue 2023 Spring”)https://info.village-cellars.co.jp/Editorial/posts/TerreRougeFor wine information, please see www.village-cellars.co.jp.（From Village Cellars 2021 Summer catalogue）Trinity Hill Gimblett Gravels Chardonnay 2022 (Screw Cap)Varietal: Chardonnay 100% Alc. 13.7%RRP ￥5,800Trinity Hill, an early pioneer in the famed Gimblett Gravels wine district of Hawke’s Bay, recently celebrated 25 years of winemaking under their award-winning winemaker, Warren Gibson. During Warren’s visit to Japan planned for early November, we will host a tasting seminar focusing on their iconic red varietal, Syrah, to better understand the Gimblett Gravels terroir and unique clonal selection.and incredible complexity, a hallmark of a great cool climate Syrah. Of the three vineyards Trinity Hill owns, 95% of their Syrah is grown in an especially stony vineyard called Gimblett Estate, and meticulous viticultural management under Warren’s guidance ensures the fruit ripens while retaining complexity and structure.This vineyard is also home to some of their oldest vines, original clones that were some of the first Syrah vines brought to New Zealand. Trinity Hill has around 12 commercially available clones today, but there are two groups of clones that are key to their Syrah program. The first is Mass Selection clones, believed to be the selection originally brought to New Zealand by James Busby, more famously known as the father of viticulture in Australia in the 1830s. The second is the Jaboulet collection, and especially clone 174, which were gifted by the late Gerard Jaboulet to the founders of Trinity Hill, at a time when they were not available in New Zealand.To find out more:Warren will visit Japan the week of November 4th, and we will host tastings and seminars in Tokyo and Osaka, with announcements in due course. It’s a fantastic opportunity to learn how terroir and clonal selection shapes the distinct characteristics of Trinity Hill wines, and the viticultural and vinification practices Warren uses to express the quality.Warren Gibson interviewTrinity Hill Gimblett Gravels Syrah 2021 (Screw Cap)Varietal: Syrah 100% Alc. 13.4%RRP ￥5,600From wine shop owner to winemaker - Exploring the potential of Rhône varietals and old vine wines in inland CaliforniaWarren’s winemaking focuses on expressing the unique nature of the Gimblett Gravels, a region formed by a major flood in 1867.Bill Easton interviewOwner and Winemaker Bill EastonNovember 2024Head Winemaker, Trinity HillWinemaker Visit & Tasting Seminar ReportApril 2024Visitedto VisitTerre Rouge & Easton WinesWarren Gibson