Maison Noire Reserve Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2022 $35 
Glossy-dark and inky in the glass, this new syrah from winemaker Guillaume Thomas has a distinct, pepper-soaked sarsparilla note on the nose, with black guava, tea leaf and tamarillo characters sashaying their way nostrilward also. To taste, it’s incredibly fresh and youthful, stitched together with peppercorn and violet and a tonne of dried herb notes. 12 months in oak (40% of which was new) has injected a wisp of smoky, charred complexity to the smooth, fleshy finish.
