Los Aguilares Pago El Espino 2016 $52.85 Produced from 70% petit verdot, 20% syrah and 10% tempranillo grown at 900m altitude in the Sierra of Ronda in Malaga, this ultra-floral, fruit saturated style will wow the crowds (not that you’ll be wanting to share, but hey, the thought is there.) Ripe, buoyant blueberry, cherry and … Read More
syrah
Aranleón Sólo 2017
Aranleón Sólo 2017 $32 I love how it has the details of the wine punched in braille on the side of the label, very cool and should be compulsory on all wine bottles methinks. Organically crafted from 80% bobal and 20% syrah grapes grown in the Valencia region, this inky-dark, intensely spicy and aromatic red … Read More
O:TU Limited Release Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2018
O:TU Limited Release Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2018 $31.99 Boatloads of white pepper, vanilla, blueberry and plum notes burst forth from the glass, this is a youthful, spicy, earthy-structured syrah that’ll put a grin on anyone’s grill. Fresh, frisky, pepper-packed and seriously food-focused, it’s good drinking now, but will reward another 2-3 years in the cellar … Read More
Moutere Hills Nelson Rumer 2016
Moutere Hills Nelson Rumer 2016 $55 Here’s a sensational, smoked-berries-and-leather layered lovely from one of our favourite Nelson-based producers. Unusual in that it’s predominantly merlot, winemaker Rusty Rayne (cool name) has also blended syrah and cabernet sauvignon alongside it, to give inject extra, peppery gravitas. Named after Rusty’s much-loved vineyard Kelpie dog, this rockin’ red … Read More
Mills Reef Reserve Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2018
Mills Reef Reserve Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2018 $24.95 Green peppercorn, violet and blueberry aromatics stand shoulder to shoulder with bright plum and cherry flavours and then they hold hands and do the Gay Gordons (remember primary school folk-dancing?) with smooth, fine-grained oak and skin tannins accentuated by beautifully balanced acidity. Nicely made. http://www.millsreef.co.nz
Squawking Magpie Stoned Crow Gimblett Gravels Syrah 2014
Squawking Magpie Stoned Crow Gimblett Gravels Syrah 2014 $49.95 Well dip me in pepper and call me spicy! This Gimblett Gravels pioneer just blasts past the competition when it comes to solid syrah. How? For starters the peppercorn, violets, blueberries, cherry and tobacco notes, earthy shadows and layers of leather mean it delivers on the … Read More
Elephant Hill Reserve Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2017
Elephant Hill Reserve Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2017 $54 If anyone knows how to make exceptional syrah, it’s Steve Skinner. He’s been shepherding Elephant Hill’s fruit from their Bridge Pa, Gimblett Gravels and home vineyard at Te Awanga into the bottle for many many years and his skill is on show here. Blueberry, black pepper, dried … Read More
Kennedy Point Organic Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2018
Kennedy Point Organic Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2018 $29 I love the way the pohutukawa trees on the label look as though they’re dancing a tango. Very apt considering the meaty, gravy-boat notes in this organic, Bridge Pa-grown glass of goodness tend to sashay across the palate rather perfectly. Determined to preserve its original character, winemaker … Read More
Goldie Estate Waiheke Island Syrah 2016
Goldie Estate Waiheke Island Syrah 2016 $44 Heinrich Storm not only has the most fierce name in all of New Zealand winemaking, he’s also young, bouncy and ferociously talented on the syrah front. Four years on since vintage and this delicious thing is beginning to move on from the trot and break into a canter … Read More
Maison Noire Home Block Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2018
Maison Noire Home Block Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2018 $35 Grown on the limestone-laden soils of the Waimarama Road, this syrah has its own distinct personality and it’s not a massively peppery one. Flying in the face of what we consider ‘classic’ Hawke’s Bay syrah, the Home Block is intensely floral and fruit-driven, laced with baking … Read More