Vidal Reserve Gimblett Gravels Hawkes Bay Syrah 2018

Description

• Nutty oak
• Red berry & plum
• Floral notes
• Sugar-coated tannins

"Quite a dense and complex Syrah with plum, dark berry, pepper, subtle floral and nutty oak flavours. The wine is cleverly structured with sugar-coated tannins that provide backbone while offering an appealing silkiness. Excellent value at this price" Bob Campbell, Master of Wine, Real Review, Feb 2020

Fragrant background spice, red berry and floral notes combine on a flavoursome, refreshing and finely textured palate. This perfumed and balanced wine will continue to develop over time and is best enjoyed with food. Best enjoyed 2-5+ years from vintage.

Fruit for this wine was grown in the Omahu Gravels (65%) and Twyford Gravels (35%) Vineyards situated in the heart of the acclaimed Gimblett Gravels grape-growing district. Gimblett Gravels soils are made up of relatively recent alluvial deposits of gravel and varying degrees of silt and sand. Naturally, freedraining and low vigour soils, meticulous vineyard management and the 2018 season produced grapes with intense varietal character, depth and clarity of flavour. Naturally low yields and “green harvesting” has resulted in good fruit concentration balanced with fresh natural acidity, typical of our region and wines.

Individual vineyard parcels were harvested, destemmed, lightly crushed and fermented as small batches in open-top fermenters. During ferment, the batches were gently plunged and pumped over on skins to extract desirable tannin, flavour and colour. The wines were then pressed off and run to French oak barrels where they completed malolactic fermentation. After resting in barrel for 12 months (14% new and balanced seasoned), the batches were lightly eggwhite fined, naturally settled, blended and gently filtered before bottling in July 2019.

Food Pairing: Venison, beef and hard cheeses.