Villa Maria Cellar Selection Hawkes Bay Syrah 2019

Description

• French oak
• Violet & spice
• Black fruit
• Silky mouthfeel

"Bold, bright and beautifully built syrah with plum, berry, floral, violet, pepper and spice flavours. This deliciously juicy red can be enjoyed now or carefully cellared for a few years to yield a mellower texture and even greater complexity" Bob Campbell, Master of Wine, Real Review, Oct 2020

Deep purple and crimson hues lead to a perfumed nose of violet, black fruit, herb and spice aromas. The palate is medium-bodied, supple and silky in texture, featuring wonderfully integrated tannins. Pure fruit flavours lead the wine to a lengthy finish.

2019 was an exceptional Hawkes Bay vintage, particularly for reds. Moderate yields combined with warmer than average temperatures and dry settled conditions encouraged the majority of the fruit across the region to achieve optimum ripeness and maintain excellent condition through to harvest. This wine is a blend of fruit taken predominantly from vineyards in close proximity to Gimblett Road (80%) with the balance from Ohiti Valley.

The fruit was picked and gently destemmed without crushing into open-top fermenters for fermentation with daily plunging to extract flavour, colour and tannin. Once pressed the wine was matured in 228L French oak barriques of which 18% were new, for 12 months prior to blending and bottling.

Food Pairing: Syrah is an excellent food wine, particularly when paired with dishes featuring spice, duck or venison. Drink now or hold for up to 5-8 years when the wine will develop further complexity.