Squawking Magpie The Gravels Syrah 2014 The impenetrable, inky-dark colour saturation is the first thing that gets you with this wine, it’s incredibly dense, dark, a stormcloud in a glass. Perfumed with blackcurrant, cherry and pepper-dusted damson plums, the nose is exciting , spice-driven and has smoke around the edges. Elegantly structured, the core … Read More
syrah
Canvas Column Sat 2 July 2016
Julia Child once said “I love to cook with wine. Sometimes I even put it in the food”. She also said “Every woman should own a blowtorch”. I miss Julia. Stonecroft Gimblett Gravels Gewürztraminer 2015 $25 This organically produced wine is golden and glossy in the glass and absolutely heaves with heady spices, musky pot … Read More
Brookfields Backblock Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2015
Brookfields Backblock Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2015 $21 ★★★½ How pretty is the colour of this wine? Glossy and inky-purple in the glass, it’s also chock full of violets, bouquet-garni herbs and loads of dark berries. There’s a classic hit of pepper – but it’s only there to cuddle the fruit. Fresh and youthful, winemaker Peter … Read More
Seifried Nelson Syrah 2014
Seifried Nelson Syrah 2014 $22 ★★★½ Bright peppery aromatics, fresh plum and hints of dark cherry merge with a faint medicinal hit on the nose. Punchy and vibrantly structured in the mouth, it’s a talented teenager ready to hit his straps. Spicy, lively and could actually give some of the Hawke’s Bay syrah’s a run for … Read More
Santagostino Nero D’Avola Syrah 2011
Santagostino Nero D’Avola Syrah 2011 $30 ★★★★ The groovy, gothic-style circular design on the label comes from the façade of the 14th century Sicilian Santagostino Monastry in Trapani, so yes, the bottle looks good, but it tastes like money too. Liquorice, raspberry, dusty rose and pepper aromatics merge with rosehip and pomegranate flavours, fresh acidity, … Read More
Church Road Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2013
Church Road Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2013 $20 ★★★★★ I really, really, really, really like this wine for loads of reasons. It’s not just its elegant aromas of peppercorn, plum, violet and red fruits freshly dusted with cocoa powder, or its buoyant acidity and ethereal texture or even its sandy, emery-like tannins with just the right … Read More
CJ Pask Declaration Syrah 2013
CJ Pask Declaration Syrah 2013 $50 ★★★★★ An ultra-bright, intensely aromatic example, which oozes fruitwood smoke, cracked pepper, rose and violet notes alongside an underlying earthy character on the nose. Flavour-wise it boasts juicy dark fruit, vanilla and cocoa, tannins with grip and chew and a long, warming finish. It’s an incredibly satisfying drink now, … Read More
Elephant Hill Airavata Syrah 2013
Elephant Hill Airavata Syrah 2013 $95 ★★★★★ This wine was 3.5 years in the making. Choosing the best possible syrah rows, adopting a specific canopy management strategy to grow ‘super syrah’ and then working on it with kid gloves in the winery to create the first ‘Icon’ syrah since 2009. This Airavata (meaning ‘the king-god of … Read More
Elephant Hill Gimblett Gravels Syrah 2013
Elephant Hill Gimblett Gravels Syrah 2013 $69 ★★★★★ According to winemaker Steve Skinner, they did 33 different picks across their syrah vineyards, which, for a smallish, 200-odd tonne winery is a huge effort “but it was so worth it because we were able to single out some absolutely stunning parcels to make wines like this … Read More
Saint Clair Gimblett Gravels Syrah 2013
Saint Clair Gimblett Gravels Syrah 2013 $23 ★★★½ Being a pioneering Marlborough producer hasn’t stopped the Saint Clair crew from forging further into northern climes to nab themselves some prime red wine territory in Hawke’s Bay. This syrah has all those classic plum, violet and pepper-driven spice characters that you’ll be asking for, alongside good … Read More