• French oak
• Dark berries
• Black pepper & anise
• Fine tannins

"Dense yet elegant Syrah with floral, violet, dark berry, black pepper, anise and spicy oak. A wine that delivers its power with great subtlety. Surprisingly accessible but with obvious cellaring potential. This is a very serious red indeed" Bob Campbell, Master of Wine, Real Review, Jun 2020

"Fabulous bouquet. Youthful yet entirely engaging. Pure yet complex. Primary aromas of forest berries and baked mushroom, raspberry and black currant, fruit spices and pepper then toasty wood, near new oak aromas are trumped by the core of fruit and concentration. As the wine opens up in glass it organically becomes more complex but remains youthful and engaging. On the palate - complex and as equally primary as the nose suggests, dark fruits, raspberry and black currant, sweet meats and field mushroom, bracken and dark spices. An abundance of tannin and acidity - firm, chalky, ripe and resolved. Long finish, complex and young. No need to open till 2022 at the earliest, decant for service, will last in your cellar till 2030 – at least. So pleased to finally see this wine under screw top closure" Cameron Douglas, Master Sommelier, Jun 2020

"Deep crimson, purple hue, lighter edged. Robust and expressive on the nose, lots of oak, cedar, spices, tobacco, smoked meat, violet, dark fruit, very complex. Full-bodied, good tension and acid thread, lighten the palate, prickly spices sensation, multi-layered red & black fruit, spice, cedar, tobacco, violet, smoked meat, mineral tannin. Vigorous and long finish will age for a long time" Candice Chow, Raymond Chan Reviews, Feb 2021

"Deep red colour with a good tint of purple. The bouquet is sweetly ripe to super-ripe, with some almost jammy touches, raspberry to blackberry, the palate intense and slightly sinewy in texture, the tannins slightly edgy and gritty with a stony mineral note. It's not outstandingly rich or fleshy, but a very smart syrah. 2020–2040" Huon Hooke, Real Review, Nov 2020

"Lovely combination of meat, violet and stemmy complexity on the nose. Gets the fruit power of Syrah just right too: brambles and plums. Charred meat on the finish. Fine, chalky tannin. A great example, where canny winemaking has added extra complexity without compromising the integrity of the fruit. A classic" Richard Hemming, Feb 2020

"This is a complex and very intense Syrah that offers a deeply ripe yet fresh and clear-cut impression of blackberry and pepper, with other layers of spice, graphite and gently meaty notes. The palate is silky yet powerful with really finely layered tannins that cast a long, evenly built finish. Drink or hold" James Suckling, Jamessuckling.com, Feb 2021

"Medium deep crimson. Beautiful pure raspberry strawberry red cherry aromas with espresso/ sage/ white pepper notes. Inky textured wine with dense concentrated raspberry pastille, strawberry fruits, fine silky tannins and roasted chestnut espresso oak. Finishes chalky al dente firm with lovely mineral length and feathery tannin plume" Andrew Calliard, Master of Wine, Jul 2020

"Homage has earned iconic status for providing consistent top quality over many years. Powerful, stylish wine with floral/violet, dark berry, black pepper, anise and spicy oak. A safe bet for the cellar but it’s also surprisingly accessible now" Gourmet Traveller, Nov 2021

"Lovely dark vibrant purple red. Sweet, fresh fruits, pure and limpid. Very attractive, with a faint hint of spring leaf to lift the fruit, but nothing herbaceous a touch of tar, too. Pretty and well-managed. Clean, fresh, lively fruits; soft tannins; discreet oak; integrated, gentle acidity. Mouthfilling and fresh at the same time; graceful and balanced. Very well judged. One of the most successful Syrahs from GG that I recall" Andrew Jefford, Master of Wine, AVS Selection, Feb 2021

The 2018 Homage displays the purity, sophistication and refinement that are the hallmarks of the marque. A captivating perfume – fresh raspberries/blackberries, sweet spices, black liquorice, crushed minerals, cedar – leads to an exquisite, intricately detailed palate with superb definition and depth of flavour. Ultra-fine tannins and vibrant acidity provide a refined texture and an exceptionally long finish. A wine of beauty, poise and finesse that will blossom and reveal more complexity with time. Drink from 2022 to 2037. Decant before serving.

in Hawke’s Bay with a very warm, humid, late summer and autumn. Special canopy management of the vines, along with impeccable viticulture during the growing season, ensured fruit quality of the highest order. Pruning and shoot/bunch thinning at appropriate times yielded a crop level of around 5 to 6 tonnes per hectare (approximately 30 to 35 hectolitres per hectare).

Syrah grapes were hand-harvested from several individual sites and blocks, de-stemmed and fermented separately. Each parcel was hand-plunged or pumped over once daily during fermentation to aid optimum colour and tannin extraction. One parcel was fermented with 100% whole bunches and Viognier skins to enhance aromatics and structure. Total time on skins (including post-fermentation maceration) ranged from 16 to 35 days, which helped improve the texture of the tannins while softening and stabilising the individual wines.

All parcels were predominantly aged in 228-litre French oak barriques for 12 to 15 months, of which 32% were new. One parcel was aged for eight months in a 5,400-litre French oak oval followed by a further six months in barriques. While in barrel, none of the wines were racked, only stirred when required. The individual wines were blended, and the final blend bottled, in July and September 2019, respectively.