Dry River Lovat Martinborough Syrah 2017

Description

• Oak spice
• Ripe dark berries
• Dulce de leche
• Ripe tannins

"This offers plenty of pepper and woody-spice aromas across ripe dark berries and a hint of blood orange. The palate has impressively fluid tannins and a fresh, ripe core of dark-berry flavors. Complex and vibrant syrah. Drink or hold" James Suckling, Feb 2021

The wine shows primary dark fruits of the forest like boysenberry and black currants interlaced with violets and hints of black pepper. Winemakers decided to age the wine on oak for a little longer this time, 24 instead of 18 months. This brought out a certain maturity and subdued vibrancy in the form of dulce de leche, vanilla, nutmeg and allspice on the nose.

Another benefit of prolonged barrel ageing is that the tannins are allowed to soften a bit more, which helps the front palate and thus approachability of the wine.  As a young wine, the fruit is expressive, almost brash, but respectful to the other components of the wine.  Like the acidity, present and linear, not overpowering, the texture is all-encompassing and well proportioned. The wine is neither fined (clarified) nor filtered and might show a light deposit, especially after a few years of ageing.

The heat summation and distribution for 2017 was similar to 2013, quite spectacular. However, the impact of the 2017 rain event in early April did not go unnoticed for wine lovers, mainly Pinot Noir aficionados. Lucky for our Syrah is that it is most often picked in early May, enough time to get back on track for ripening and avoid dilution.  We, therefore, had plenty of confidence in a successful Syrah harvest with ample concentration and ripe tannins. We see a good life ahead for this wine, with an optimal drinkability after approximately six to eight years.