Elegant and robust Syrah from the hand of Rod McDonald - one of New Zealand's masters with this varietal. Plush dark fruit forward flavours lead into a full bodied, dry and spicy Syrah with a long and savoury finish.

This is a beautifully balanced wine that offers aromas of cherry, dark plum and fragrant plum blossom on the nose. The palate is velvet textured with flavours of blackberry, plum, complex spice and white pepper, balanced by fine grained tannins, and a hint of smoky oak.

Food matches include wild pork, red meats and game dishes.

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WINEMAKING NOTES
The fruit for this wine is grown on the stony sandy soil of our lower terrace. It was harvested on 4 April 2019. The fruit was cold soaked for around 6 days prior to fermentation. The wine was then aged in French oak barrels for 10 months, 33 % new.

ANALAYSIS
pH 3.68
TA 4.37 g/l
Alcohol 13.0%

TASTING NOTES
Dark red, purple hues. Amazing dark berry fruit in the raspberry black currant spectrum.  The spice notes of Syrah are to the fore in this wine with a white pepper and Chinese five spice.  As is our style, the fruit was aged in oak to accentuate the savoury notes and introduce aromas of vanilla and toast.
The palate is especially vibrant with a line of acidity knitting the fleshiness and structural components together.  Excellent concentration and vibrancy with a long finish.

AWARDS
5 Stars Wine Orbit
93 Points Cameron Douglas

Syrah is one of the great reds of Hawke's Bay and this wine gains its full body, impressive structure and dry spicy flavours from the addition of whole clusters of grapes to the fermentation. 

It's a powerful big red with flavours of dark plum and spiced fruit.

The 2020 vintage was warm and dry, ideal for making wines to cellar. This wine can age for 10 years+. 

Elspeth is Mills Reef’s top tier range, produced from their vineyards in the Gimblett Gravels, Hawke’s Bay. This Syrah is intensely concentrated and complex, displaying luscious boysenberry, white pepper spice and liquorice notes.

This deep ruby, complex dry, spicy red comes from Elephant Hill Winery, which has its headquarters on the beautiful coast at Te Awanga in Hawke's Bay. 

Commercial description

This deep purple Syrah blossoms with blue fruits and violets, and is directed as if by gravitational force to a subtle undertone of exotic cooking spices. Vibrant and sharply focused, displaying smoke-accentuated nuance on the palate with a plush, velvety texture. Eighteen months in carefully selected French oak barriques with regular bâtonage rounded the tannins, adding to the framework a fine grip and delicate finishing touch. Cellaring Potential: 10 years

Dark, juicy, spicy and delicious Syrah made from organically certified grapes grown in Marlborough. Exceptional wine with power, elegance and structure.

Drink now or hold til 2026/2027.

Organic certification

The organic story at Seresin

One of the greatest things about Seresin Estate is the organic certification. This came relatively early on for Seresin, who was dismayed by the amount used and the impacts of man made chemicals, which were routinely and frequently sprayed on vines. His early adopting philosophy of organic certification paved a positive path for the integrity of the wines as well as leading others to follow suit.

Mills Reef Winery is based in Tauranga and makes its stellar wines from grapes grown in New Zealand's two biggest wine regions; Marlborough and Hawke's Bay, respectively. 

This dry full bodied and spicy Syrah is made from grapes grown in Hawke's Bay where the warm climate adds weight, spice and ripe fruit flavours. Great drinking and excellent value for money for enjoying now or in the next four to five years.

Trademark wines are only made in a good vintage, with fairly small print runs.  They're drinkers and keepers.  Made from 100% Hawke's Bay gold.

Ripe fruit from three of our Trademark Syrah vineyards planted on limestone hillsides and an old riverbed. It shows admirable ripeness and depth of flavour, retaining vibrancy and great complexity on the nose and palate with typical violet, spice, black cherry and subtle white pepper notes. Supple chalky tannins provide a structure that promise time in bottle will be rewarded.

Commercial Description

We are lucky at Čuvar to have arguably one of the best red wine vineyards on the Gimblett Gravels, which meant that the Syrah weathered the early cyclone and continued to ripen to produce fruit with depth of flavour and ripe tannins – the perfect palette to create this wine.

Firm, ripe tannins create a backbone enveloped in juicy sun kissed fruit that lengthens on the palate to leave you wanting more.