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| Previous vintage went Gold & Trophy Canberra National. "Best Buy!" -TiZWine, "The past masters of Marlborough sauvignon blanc stick to their winning formula. Hunters» |
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| Characterized by rich fruit intensity, a deep colour and fine aromas, simply elegant, with powdery, soft tannins, a very special Cabernet Sauvignon which offers complexity, structure and great length. The inaugural release of this wine claimed Gold and Best Wine ahead of two great Bordeaux icons, Chateau Mouton Rothschild and Cos d’Estournel. Taltarni» |
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| An impressive succession of highly awarded vintages, twice in a row Gold Medal Liquorland International Top 1OO, Gold & Silver New World Wine Awards, and second equal at the prestigious UK Wine Magazine’s New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc tasting. Flanked by the ocean, mountains and rivers of the South Island, the Waipara Hills vineyards produce the most fashionable wines that convey the estate's understanding and passion for the land and the fruit it bears. Waipara Hills» |
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| Annie's Lane continue to impress wine lovers around the world with their elegance and finesse. Copper Trail is Annie Lane's flagship Shiraz, fashioned from fruit grown to the most precious Clare Valley sites. Annies Lane» |
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| This exceptional Champagne is composed exclusively of Chardonnay, grown on a singular terroir, the great Côte des Blancs. Nicolas Feuillatte has claimed Gold Medal Concours Mondial de Bruxelles, Silver Medal Mundus Vini, Bronze Chardonnay du Monde, and Bronze Medal Challenge International du Vin for Blanc de Blancs. Nicolas Feuillatte» |
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| Gold London International, Blue Gold & Top 1OO Sydney. Named for a rare grasshopper Sigaus childi, found only in Central Otago within the Earnscleugh gold tailings, across the road from the vineyard. Grasshopper Rock» |
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| Twice Gold Medal Challenge International du Vin. Torres grow the estate's more delicate and aromatic white grapes on the mountains of the Upper Penedès. Torres» |
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| A hallmark label, a wine of impeccable character and credentials, regularly claiming a litany of trophies and medals at international wine shows. The Classic Brown Label, from the year that saw Wolf Blass claim International Winemaker of the Year at the London International, is a magnificent example of why Australia rapidly gained repute through Wolf Blass, for the production of world class Shiraz. Wolf Blass» |
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| An impressive history surrounds this breathtaking wine, previously Blue-Gold Royal Sydney and Silver London International. Rob Dundon commenced his career in 1974 at the Hardy Wine Company in McLaren Vale, establishing Beresford in 1985. Beresford» |
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Gravitas
About Gravitas - the Winery
Gravitas
Behind Gravitas is a fifth generation New Zealand family whose forebears arrived in the country from France a century ago
Gravitas wines are sourced entirely from estate vineyards in Marlborough. Apart from wine, the family business is also developing other luxury gourmet products, including black perigord truffles and ultra-premium olive oils. Marlborough's Wairau Valley is a spectacularly beautiful part of New Zealand, Land of the Lord of the Rings. An hour or so from the vineyards can be found the snow-capped St Arnaud's Mountain Range and ski-fields, the world-renowned Kaikoura whale and dolphin sanctuaries, deep limestone caves, the primordial forests of the Nelson Lakes National Park and the endless and empty white sand beaches of the Able Tasman National Park.
The Marlborough region is without a doubt one of New Zealand's most outstanding tourist destinations regions. The country's wine and seafood capital, it is also one of the country's most picturesque and provides a range of outdoor activities that is hard to beat anywhere in the world. East-West, through the centre of the region runs the heart of New Zealand's wine industry - the Wairau and Awatere river valleys, extending from the Pacific Ocean to the high St Arnaud's Mountain Range. Both valleys are also bordered by spectacular hills and mountains, which are snow capped for much of the year and where wild boar and deer roam freely.
Marlborough regularly claims the highest sunshine hours in New Zealand - averaging 11 hours of sunshine a day for most of the year and low rainfall (less than 60 cm or 24 inches), most which falls during the winter months. Despite the long sunshine hours and dry climate, temperatures are cooled by the nearby sea to a pleasant 25-30C during the summer. Winters can be cold with frosts during the period August-October.
The inspiration for the estate's name came from Baroness Rothschild herself who was patron of the Wine MBA that Martyn was completing. At the graduation ceremony in Bordeaux Martyn was describing to the Baroness how he felt he had become fat from eating and drinking great French wine and food. The Baroness replied, "No Monsieur Nicholls, this is not fat but an image of gravitas!" Grav-i-tas (grav'i-täs') is from the Latin word, meaning something that is of great stature, seriousness and elegance, and that sums up what Martyn Nicholls winemaking is about. To create highly notable editions which are achieving the highest acclaim purely on the basis of merit.
In 1993 after a long search for the perfect vineyard site, merchant banker Martyn Nicholls and his family, made the seachange from city finance to viticulture, and settled on a 30 hectare block of premium vineyard land in the upper Wairau Valley at the heart of Marlborough. In the months that followed, the backbreaking work began, to clear the land and plant carefully selected clones and varieties of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir that would become the focus of our wine range. Within twelve months Martyn's dream of his Saint Arnaud vineyard was a reality and over the years, his vines thrived.
Martyn Nicholls and his dedicated team arbored diligently around the vineyard, as well as designs and plans for the new winery, barrel hall and tasting facility. The operation has a capacity 40,000 cases and the barrel hall runs underground for a hundred and fifty feet from the winery, through a hill and out to the other side, with a spectacular view across the vineyard floor, 300 or so hundred feet below.
Much of the region is preserved as the AbleTasman National Forest - hundreds of miles of primordial native forests and beaches, accessible by well kept walking tracks or local boat taxis.
Gravitas wines have achieved spectacular success over the years and are achieving renown internationally. Gravitas has an enviable record at wine shows around the world, with multiple medal wins. The accolades are expected to continue, as St Arnaud tend to release their wines much later than most, in the belief that they evolve dramatically in the bottle - and an extra wait often makes a real difference in quality.
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