Known Unknown Pakipaki Syrah 2021 $37 
Just south of Hastings in Hawke’ Bay is the sleepy hamlet of Pakipaki, famous for its deep, limestone soils (there’s even a limestone quarry nearby), soils that aren’t your typical base for a place where syrah is more famous for growing in its gravel-rich appellations. Whole-bunch fermented for a month then a portion of the wine was matured in older, 2-3yo oak barrels for another year while the remainder was kept in stainless steel. It’s a bright, fruit-forward style and doesn’t tow the ‘black pepper’ line that commonly comes with Hawke’s Bay syrah also. It’s unfined and unfiltered, hence the cloudy look in the glass, showing peaky acidity, good fruit tension and an earthy, smoky, creamy, cherry clafoutis character.
