John Forrest Collection Gimblett Gravels Syrah 2015

Description

Oak, Plum, Spice

"Deep and quite dense syrah with cassis, plum, pepper, mint, and spicy oak flavours. A core of sweet fruit is balanced by fine, peppery tannins. The wine is remarkably fresh with the potential to age for a further decade or more" Bob Campbell, Master of Wine, Real Review, Jul 2020

"Youthful, juicy and fleshy with ripe red berry fruit aromas, no mistaking the fresh grind of pepper, sweet toasty oak and aromas of dry whole clove. Additional aromas of violets and purple fruits, rock and stone soil notes with a mild dried herb quality. On the palate - delicious! a very engaging package of flavours and textures - from dark berries and raspberry to sweet toasty oak and brown spices to pepper. Firm tannins and a back bone of acidity, there’s also a meaty old-world St Joseph reminder as well. Fantastic wine. Drinking well now and through 2025+" Cameron Douglas, Master Sommelier

Dark ruby red in colour with a purple hue, this Syrah wine presents a powerful and complex nose of lifted floral notes, white pepper, Black Doris plums, baked Christmas cake, cedar, hints of camphor, nutmeg and Moroccan spice. The white pepper and Doris plum follows through on to the palate, interlaced with blackberries, maraschino cherries, cedar and earthy flavours sustained with big tannins, finishing this elegant wine with a dusty dry finish.

In 1988 the winemaker bought a piece of wasteland in Hawke’s Bay, deliberately choosing a site at the stoniest, hottest, western end of Gimblett Road, on Class 1a river gravels, because they were looking for a special place where warm climate reds, such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah would fully ripen. They learned how to grow grape vines in gravel as they went along, pioneering many of the viticultural practices that are now norm in the region. Time has a proven my instinct right.

Making wine is a very personal endeavour, yet one winemakers love to share. For this winemaker, winemaking combines their exuberant personality and scientist’s love of experimentation with a continuous quest to capture the best the land, the vines and the vintage have to offer. The result is a collection of wines with great integrity and purity of flavour, which clearly reflect their sense of place. The winemaker is proud to share these wines with you.