TASTING NOTES
A deep luminous purple hue in the glass, this Hawkes Bay Syrah displays rich and complex layers of dark berry fruit, lifted florals and savoury spice notes on the nose. Aged in French oak barriques for 15 months, the palate is finely balanced with concentrated black plum, peppery spice and smoothly structured tannins that lead to a finish with both length and power.

WINEMAKING
Carefully hand-harvested fruit is lightly crushed and destemmed into open-top fermenters, before undergoing a cold soak period. Once signs of fermentation are observed the must is gently warmed and then inoculated with yeasts purposely selected to enhance the grapes natural varietal characteristics. A rapid fermentation then ensues – with temperatures pecking at around 30 ̊ to 33 ̊C. Post fermentation the resulting wine underwent a time of maceration on skins before being pressed to old French old barriques. Once in barrel a secondary malolactic fermentation is carried out, after which the barrels are stored in our purpose-built barrel hall for up to 12 months – allowing the wine to mature and soften. Once ready the wine is pulled from barrel and gently fined and filtered before being bottled in March 2015.

VITICULTURE
Hawkes Bay is New Zealand’s premium area for the production of full bodied red wines, and has become world-renowned for its Syrah wines. The 2014/2015 growing season began with a dry early summer that followed through into January and February. The start of autumn saw some unsettled weather with a tropical cyclone brushing the Hawkes Bay area, however cool southerly breezes dried the vineyards out as soon as the rain had past. Almost perfect ripening conditions in the weeks leading up to harvest meant the vineyard team where able to deliver faultless fruit to the winery at harvest time.