Villa Maria Reserve Gimblett Gravels Hawkes Bay Syrah 2018

Description

• French oak
• Boysenberry & spice
• Ripe tannins
• Silky mouthfeel

This stunning Syrah is a blend of two parcels from Villa Maria's premium vineyards in Hawkes Bay's Gimblett Gravels. 2018 delivered wonderfully fragrant and intense Syrah wines. Dense purple hues lead to a perfumed nose of boysenberry, spice and violets. Ripe tannins encase concentrated fruit characters on a long and silky palate. Careful cellaring of up to 10+ years will reward with further complexity.

Villa Maria’s Reserve Syrah vineyards are located in the Gimblett Gravels of Hawkes Bay. The free-draining soils, warm daytime temperatures and cool nights encourage naturally devigourated vines to ripen their low yields slowly and evenly. These factors, along with well-timed vineyard management techniques ensure the resulting wines are deeply coloured and well structured, with pure aromatics and flavours classic to the variety.

The 2018 vintage followed one of the warmest summers on record. This provided red varietals superb conditions for ripening. Although harvest commenced early in March with immediate pressure from rain, the majority of the later ripening reds were harvested in excellent condition under blue skies. Fruit grown on stony free-draining sites maintained a healthy condition and concentrated flavours.