Sacred Hill secures outstanding Gimblett Gravels Vintage in 2009

Following the outstanding success of Sacred Hill’s Helmsman Cabernet Merlot in the London Masterclass, Sacred Hill has finished a spectacular harvest from the current vintage. A hot dry spring and summer, followed by a brilliant extended fine spell throughout the autumn period has resulted in grapes of the highest quality seen for at least a decade being received at the winery.

“We put a huge effort into the vineyards this year, taking precision viticulture to new levels of commitment. We set up to achieve great fruit concentration through rigorous shoot thinning, crop thinning, shoot positioning and specific site selection within our best vineyards in the Gravels” says Sacred Hill chief winemaker Tony Bish.

“This great work by our vineyard staff was then enhanced by a stunning period of weather, allowing us to maximise and finesse our opportunity to harvest at precisely the optimum time. We have outstanding quality in Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, merlot and Syrah.”

Sacred Hill’s Helmsman Cabernet Merlot 2005 was placed third in the top six along with two Premier Cru Bordeaux’s at a comparative tasting held in Taupo late last year. In this event renowned Australian wine guru James Halliday selected six Gimblett Gravels wines to compare with six selected Bordeaux’s from the highly regarded 2005 vintage. The results of this event were so spectacular for the Gimblett Gravels wines that the organising body of Gimblett Gravels Association decided to take the concept to London to a Masterclass of some of the finest palates in the world, including Jancis Robinson, Oz Clarke and Michael Schuster to name but a few.

In this auspicious event, Sacred Hill’s succeeding vintage, the 2006 Helmsman Cabernet Merlot, was rated fourth overall and top New Zealand wine, heading off wines at prices upwards of £700 per bottle. Following this event, Sacred Hill’s Fine Wine Agent, Farr Vintners, sold out its entire allocation of this stunning wine in 30 minutes to private fine wine clients.

The yet to be released Sacred Hill Helmsman 2007 vintage is still under wraps, but many of the Hawke’s Bay winemakers have rated this vintage ahead of either 2005 or 2006. Following the success of this wine, indent buyers are lining to secure an allocation of this rare and special wine.