Newton Forrest Estate Cornerstone 2006 sold under the hammer in HK

A rare vintage of New Zealand Wine that made its name in London during a Gimblett Gravels vs Bordeaux double blind tasting, was sold under the hammer in Hong Kong on 15th June.

The Newton Forrest Estate Cornerstone 2006 from the Gimblett Gravels, Hawkes Bay was presented by ASC Fine Wines at a degustation dinner and auction at The Langham Place Hotel, held in the Shang Tung room.

The unique wine auction attended by a selection of high profile Hong Kong guests, gave the opportunity to taste the iconic New Zealand Wine and during the course of the evening, Dr John Forrest & Bob Newton, partners in the Estate, presented and auctioned 72 bottles of the Cornerstone 2006 vintage, alongside some larger format wines and back vintages from the Cornerstone vineyard.

The average price paid per bottle for the 2006 vintage was $433HKD (approximately $70NZD), however, the star of the evening reaching the highest bid of the night was a 2005 Cornerstone magnum, reaching an impressive $2000HKD (approximately $320NZD), ranking the wine as one of the most exclusive from New Zealand at this time.

All lots on the evening sold and part of the proceeds will go to Yan Chai Hospital, the Charity Fund that ASC Fine Wines Hong Kong is supporting.

Dr John Forrest, joint owner of Newton Forrest Estate commented on the success of the auction “We were very happy with the results, amazing food, all the lots sold and I believe the buyers realise they have got some great New Zealand wines to age in their cellars next to their First Growth Bordeaux, I hope they enjoy the wines for many years to come, the Cornerstone wines are second to none.”

The Cornerstone 2006 made its place among the best Bordeaux First Growths at the Gimblett Gravels vs Bordeaux blind tasting in 2009, an event chaired by Jancis Robinson MW. From the 12 wines tasted the Cornerstone 2006 was one of two Gimblett Gravels wines ranked in the top 6 in the double blind tasting alongside famous names such as Chateau Mouton Rothschild, Chateau Lafite Rothschild and Chateau Haut-Brion. After the event in London, attended by world famous wine journalists & critics, Jancis Robinson MW, commented "the (Gimblett Gravels) wines tasted were the closest comparison to the Bordeaux wines of any wine region (in the world) today."

Newton Forrest Estate was established in 1988 to make wine from Bordeaux varieties, grown in the unique soils of the Cornerstone Vineyard, Gimblett Gravels region, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand. In the following years, many wineries followed the path of these 2 visionaries while the Gimblett Gravels was establishing itself as New Zealand’s preeminent Bordeaux red grape growing area.

Also auctioned on the evening was a collection of back vintage wines under the super premium John Forrest Collection label, which included a Central Otago Pinot Noir, Marlborough Chardonnay and the IWC Gold and Trophy winning Gimblett Gravels Syrah from the same Cornerstone vineyard. The highest bid for a 6 bottle gift pack was a notable $3000HKD (approximately $480NZD).