Esk Valley Artisanal Hawke's Bay Syrah 2019

Description

• French oak
• Raspberry & jam
• Wood spice & pepper
• Elegant acidity

"Aromas of fresh red raspberries, wood spices, black currant, fresh lightly smoked meats, some peppercorn and baking spices and plum - in other words - complex. Fresh, youthful, fruity and precise on the palate with flavours that reflect the bouquet. Firm tannins and a backbone of acidity. Moderate new oak impact adds to the texture and weight. Lengthy, youthful, tense and dry. A well made wine that requires some cellar time showcase its complexity. Decant for service before 2023 with best drinking from 2023 through 2028+" Cameron Douglas, Master Sommelier, May 2021

"Exhibiting excellent fruit purity and fragrance showing Black Doris plum, elegant oak, olive and pepper spice aromas on the nose, combined with juicy palate that's supple and fleshy. Varietally expressive and soothing. At its best: now to 2029" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, May 2021

"Enjoyable young, the debut 2019 vintage (4*) is full-coloured, with a fragrant, distinctly spicy, vividly varietal bouquet. Vibrantly fruity and supple, it is mouthfilling, with strong plum and black-pepper flavours, nutty, savoury notes adding considerable complexity, fresh acidity and a smooth finish. Drink now or cellar" Michael Cooper

The wine is medium to deep red, with aromas that showcase the red fruit elements of Hawke's Bay Syrah, including raspberries with undertones of wood spice and pepper. In the mouth the wine is soft and generous with flavours like the nose of red berries and jam, with an underlying acidity providing elegance and length. Delicious as a young wine, it will also reward cellaring.

The grapes for this wine were grown in two contrasting Hawke's Bay sites. The free draining stony gravels of Gimblett Road provide the wine with dark fruit notes and a tannic frame while the limestone soils of the Heipipi Vineyard in Bay View adds perfume and complexity. Both these free draining vineyard sites are planted with the Limmer clone and are aged from 12 to 25 years.

The individual vineyard parcels were destemmed on arrival at the winery and transferred to small 5 tonne open topped concrete fermenters for fermentation with wild vineyard yeasts. Once active the ferments were managed by hand to gently extract colour and tannin. After a period of post fermentation maceration the grapes were gently pressed and transferred to French oak barrels for 17 months ageing. Both small 228 litre and large format 500 and 600 litre puncheons were utilised. 29% were new.