Linden Estate Hawke’s Bay Syrah Blanc de Noir 2023 $32 
It’s not everyday you see syrah made in the style of a white wine, right? But in a year when most of his vineyards were obliterated by Cyclone Gabrielle, winemaker Alex Hendry felt it couldn’t hurt to experiment. What did he have to lose? Well, I’ll tell you what: this perfectly pale, ballet shoe-hued wine is definitely our gain. I love its apricot and apple delicacy, crisp stonefruit characters, and whisper of white pepper. Cleansing, textural, and roaring with nectarine and soft citrus complexity, it’s gorgeous with Greek salad.
