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Our history
In 1993 after a ten year search for the perfect vineyard site ex-merchant banker Martyn Nicholls and his family purchased and settled on a 30 hectare block of premium vineyard land in the upper Wairau Valley in the heart of Marlborough , New Zealand .
In the months follow 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 following three years the vines thrived.
Initially the idea was for the wines to be named after the vineyard, however during the initial years while the vineyard was getting established Martyn and his family moved back to the UK so that Martyn could complete his Wine MBA and work on establishing contacts for the imminent wine.
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The final inspiration for our 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-tas') is from the Latin word, meaning something that is of great stature, seriousness and elegance, and that sums up what we are trying to achieve with our wine. We are a company that does not advertise. Gravitas wines have achieved spectacular success over the past six years and today being available in over 20 countries around the world.
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Our Team
We have a fantastic team at Gravitas - and if you visit us here in New Zealand , you'll get to know each of the jewels in our team below.
We are extremely fussy about who we choose to work with us at Gravitas - and as a consequence we advertise in up to 6 countries around the world. We had 60 applicants from around the world for our winemaker position - and interviewed a large proportion of them before making a decision. All of our key Management Team jointly choose each new employee and they all own shares in the company - the latter is a part of our commitment to rewarding effort and creating a sense of belonging to the Gravitas project.
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Our Vineyards We have approximately 40 hectares ( 100 acres ) of vineyards located in Marlborough ,
New Zealand 's premier wine growing region. This is also the region with the most sunshine hours per year – an average of about 9 a day!
Within Marlborough our vineyards are spread over an 80km
( 50 mile ) range of terroir and this gives us a rich pallet of grapes to paint with.
Our main vineyard is at the top end of the Wairau Valley - a significantly cooler area than other parts of the valley closer to the sea and with a day/night temperature variation that can be extremely high. The temperature characteristics of this area aligned with very deep, free-draining and stony soils produce wines that show an interesting range of fruit characters (more citrus than other parts of the valley) and a distinctive mineral note. |
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As for our viticultural practices, wines of great stature can only be made with grapes of supremely high quality, so…
- Virtually all vinework (leaf-plucking etc) is carried out by hand.
- We monitor vineyard conditions by computerised sensors which beam up moisture and temperature data every half hour to a private website, which management can access from anywhere in the world.
- Our computer controlled irrigation system is highly sophisticated and can water 20 different blocks differently, according to the needs of each block.
- We operate a minimal-use chemical regime,are certified under thelow chemical Sustainable Winegrowing Programme and are preparing for conversion to organic grapegrowing. we protect our grapes with over 20 km of nets to avoid any bird damage.
- We keep yields to very low levels (as low one half those of the great Premiers Crus of Bordeaux).
- We generally harvest by hand – and often go through the same block a half dozen times on different days – just picking the perfect grapes each time.
Winemaking Philosophy:
we pursue a more structured, complex and handcrafted tradition than is typical in NZ, and aim to make wines that are resolutely food-friendly. We avoid at all costs the creation of what we call “doughnut hand grenades” – wines that have a fruit explosion (as in a hand grenade) an empty middle palate with a hole in it (like a doughnut!) and then and a short,whimpering finish at the end.
Instead, we strive for wines that have more finessed and elegant beginning, a complex multi-layered middle palate and a linger taste at the end (the finish) that goes on and on for a couple of minutes. These are more interesting wines and wines that one drink more easily with food.
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Winemaking Techniques:
grapes are normally whole-bunch pressed and then fermented with a range of commercial and wild yeasts (we prefer the latter, even though it is risky as it gives great complexity). A secondary “malolactic” fermentation is allowed, but tightly controlled (limited to 60% completion) in order to give the wine further depth and refinement. Our wines are made in up to a dozen different batches, which are then re-blended at the end – this enhances complexity. Our oaked wines are normally barrel fermented and aged 12 months sur lie (on the dead yeast cells) before they are released to the markets, in order to give greater complexity and weight. We prefer to minimise filtration, especially for the Pinot Noir. Oak: at Gravitas we are extremely fussy about our choice of oak barrels and use 11 different French suppliers, sourcing barrels from different forests (preferably northern ones) and with different toasting levels. Only 30% of the oaked wines are normally treated with new oak (the rest is a range of aged barrels), so as to keep oak flavours in the wine from becoming too dominant. Our Region The Marlborough region is 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.
Whether you love wildlife or winemaking, skiing or extreme sports, kayaking or cruising, forest walks or formal garden rambles, Marlborough is a fantastic place to unwind. In town there is vibrant caf é scene and a range of restaurants, art galleries, museums, shopping, craft studios and food specialities to discover.
Marlborough is also a place of great history.
A place sacred to many Maori, the indigenous people of New Zealand, a place full of legends of early settlement, gold rushes (50 tonnes of gold were extracted in a valley near our main vineyard) and battles and war, a place that was the favoured base for Captain Cook when he first charted New Zealand 300 hundred years ago.
For the nature lover, this is heaven - seas full of crayfish, dolphin and great whales, forests with some of the world's most unique fauna, such as the flightless kiwi and the tuatara lizard - the last descendent of the dinosaurs which lives in underground holes, often sharing these with a species of bird.
There are large nature reserves all around us. For the hunter, the valleys, rivers and inlets around us are full of wild boar, deer, trout, snapper, cod and groper. In most cases, these may be hunted for free or a nominal sum.
For sports-lovers, the place is hard to beat as well, with a state of the art recreation and sports centre, 2 international yacht marinas, 3 golf courses, horse racing, mountain biking and many other outdoor pursuits. |
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NZ Wine Industry Performance:
Wine exports for the NZ industry as a whole have continued their cracking pace, with export volumes having grown 122% over the past 24 months (only 2% of this constituted sales of bulk wine).
Wine prices have grown 25% over the past 12 months (Gravitas has not raised its prices, however).
By variety , over the past 12 months volume MAT exports of Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir have grown 29%, 39% and 66%, respectively.
By market , NZ volume MAT exports have grown as follows: USA : 44%, Australia : 43%, Canada : 48%, Ireland : 47%, Netherlands 78% and UK : 17%. NZ's total vineyard area is less than 0.5% of the world's vineyard area – so the likelihood of an oversupply of NZ wines in the future is very low. NZ wines are also on average the most expensive in nearly all markets around the world. The prognosis for our industry clearly remains very rosy.
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Frost Protection. Fires and Helicopters. |
Nets to Prevent Bird Damage |
Frost Protection. One of our Wind Generators.
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Frost Protection. Hot Pots.
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Honours Trophies 2006 Gravitas Pinot Noir – (Champion Pinot Noir) Royal Perth Int. Wine Show 07, Australia .
2005 Gravitas Reserve Chardonnay (Trophee Prestige) – Le Citadelles du vin 07, France
2005 Gravitas late Harvest Riesling (Trophee Prestige) – Le Citadelles du vin 07, France
2004 Unoaked Chardonnay (Trophee Excellence) – Le Citadelles du vin 05, France
2003 Gravitas Unoaked Chardonnay (Trophee Prestige) – Le Citadelles du vin 04, France
2003 Gravitas Sauvignon Blanc (Trophee Citadelles) – Le Citadelles du vin 04, France
2003 Gravitas Reserve Chardonnay (Trophee Excellence) – Le Citadelles du vin 04, France
Gold Medals
2006 Gravitas Pinot Noir – Royal Perth Int. Wine Show 07, Australia .
2006 Gravitas Pinot Noir – San Francisco Int. Wine Competition 07, USA
2005 Gravitas Pinot Noir – Mondial du Pinot Noir 06, Switzerland
2005 Gravitas Sauvignon Blanc – Selections Mondiales du vin 07, Montreal Canada
2004 Gravitas Sauvignon Blanc – Int. Wine & Spirit Competition 05, Singapore
2004 Gravitas Pinot Noir – Romeo Bragato Wine Awards 05, New Zealand
2003 Gravitas Sauvignon Blanc – Int. Wine & Spirit Competition 04, United Kingdom
2003 Gravitas Sauvignon Blanc – Int. Wine & Spirit Competition 04, Russia
2003 Gravitas Sauvignon Blanc – Int. Wine Challenge 04, Japan
2002 Gravitas Sauvignon Blanc – Romeo Bragato Wine Awards 03, New Zealand
2002 Gravitas Sauvignon Blanc – Japan Int. Wine Challenge 03, Japan
2002 Gravitas Reserve Chardonnay – Int. Wine Challenge 03, United Kingdom Silver Medals
2006 Gravitas Pinot Noir – Mondial du Pinot Noir 07, Switzerland .
2006 Gravitas Sauvignon Blanc – San Francisco Int. Wine Competition 07, USA
2005 Gravitas Sauvignon Blanc – Japan Wine Challenge 06, Japan
2004 Gravitas Pinot Noir – International Wine Challenge 05, United Kingdom
2004 Gravitas Pinot Noir – Mondial du Pinot Noir 05, Switzerland
2004 Gravitas Pinot Noir – NZ Int.Wine Show 05, New Zealand
2004 Gravitas Pinot Noir – Air New Zealand Wine Awards 05, New Zealand
2004 Gravitas Pinot Noir – Int. Wine & Spirit Competition 05, United Kingdom
2002 Gravitas Reserve Chardonnay – Royal Easter Wine Show 04, New Zealand
2002 Gravitas Reserve Chardonnay – Int. Chardonnay Challenge 03, New Zealand
2002 Gravitas Reserve Chardonnay – Japan Wine Challenge 03, Japan
2002 Gravitas Reserve Chardonnay – Liquorland Int. Top 100 03, New Zealand
2002 Sauvignon Blanc – Int. Wine Challenge 03, United Kingdom
2002 Gravitas Sauvignon Blanc – Int. Wine & Spirit Competition 03, United Kingdom Wine Writers' Comments “ Gravitas Sauvignon Blanc is one of the 100 most exciting wine finds of the world. ”
Tom Stevenson (The Wine Report, 2005) “One of Marlborough 's Top Four Cult Wineries.”
Gourmet Wine Traveller (Aug/Sept 2005) “Gravitas is the most exciting producer of white wines to emerge from New Zealand .”
“Gravitas Chardonnay has set a new standard for Antipodean Chardonnay.”
“ New Zealand Sauvigon Blanc doesn't get better than this.”
Swig UK “This new star from NZ is challenging the all mighty Cloudy Bay , and if judged by the accolade of awards it has already received, it might as well.”
Easy Wine ( UK ) “Gravitas is NZ's hottest new winery. Their wines are seriously, seriously good –gorgeous.”
Max Allen (Australia/UK, Olive Magazine) “Destined to become one of New Zealand 's Icon Wines.”
James Nicholson ( Ireland ) “Gravitas is an impressive newcomer. Its 2004 Sauvignon Blanc is multi-layered, complex and has a mid-palate that many more established players
would be proud of.”
Amy Wislocki, Editor Decanter ( UK ) “Look to your laurels, Cloudy Bay ! Gravitas is coming.”
Myra Greer ( Belfast Telegraph) “For a winery to achieve such success and recognition so quickly is truly remarkable” .
OW Loeb ( UK ) “One of the most powerful and intense Marlborough Sauvignon Blancs I've ever tasted. The Chardonnay is a strapping wine, deliciously rich, ripe and harmonious.”
Michael Cooper (Author of NZ Wine Atlas) “Gravitas make some of the finest white wines we have ever tried from New Zealand and this new venture into Pinot Noir suggests they have a fantastic future with their red wine too. Gravitas could be mistaken for a Premier Cru Pommard from a fine vintage.”
Gravitas Pinot Noir ( Swig , UK ) “Gravitas is a really striking story. To gain international acclaim often takes slightly longer than forever!. Gravitas has short-circuited this whole process in a few short vintages.”
Martin Gillion, Editor, WineNZ (NZ's main wine magazine) “ Definitively superior, and much garlanded.”
Jancis Robinson MW ( UK , Financial Times)
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