This new addition to the Esk Valley stable of wines is a lighter, more fragrant expression of Syrah, which represents a bit of a style departure from its siblings made from grapes grown on the Gimblett Gravels.
In this case, the wine is made from grapes grown on a 1.1 hectare vineyard at the top of The Terraces Vineyard at Bay View, just north of Napier city. The warmth of the limestone soils and the cooling sea breezes combine to ripen Syrah grapes slowly with hot days and cool nights, providing floral aromas supported by depth of dark fruit, black olive and fleshy red fruit notes. All grapes were hand picked and fermented as a mix of whole cluster bunches and destemmed fruit in a single concrete fermenter with wild yeasts. 

It’s made in small volumes and will age for up to and beyond 10 years.

An aroma of sweet dark plum, white pepper and five spice, with notes of cola bean and blueberry. The palate is velvety soft, has ripe fleshy fruit flavours of plum and blueberry, hints of baked fruit tart, five spice, white pepper and a sweet vanillan oak. The finish is firm with fine ripe tannins and long spicy prune and liquorice flavours. A bright, food friendly wine, with spicy notes. ALCOHOL: 13%

The 2022 De Boel France Cornas, also known as "Ars Magirica", is a plush red wine from the small Cornas appellation in the Northern Rhone Valley made, of course, from 100% Syrah grapes. 

The wine undergoes a two-month natural fermentation in stainless steel, with 40% then moved to old barrique for eight months of aging. The two wines are then blended together and bottled in July, with the wine being released in the October proceeding the vintage.

The wine has a spicy nose of pepper, liquorice and pork fat, leading to a supple palate offering further deep black fruits and gamey notes.

One of the best Syrahs from Hawke's Bay, full of rich, dark blackberry flavours, red liquorice and a savoury finish; this wine is long and finely tuned without being heavy, dense or dry. And while it's impressive now, this is also a keeper from Smith & Sheth, a pair of wine loving business people whose aim is to make the best  expression of grape and place. Hawke's Bay and Syrah are a match made in heaven. 

This is a sleek, detailed and fragrant, offering from Gaillard, one of the Northern Rhone's true stars.

Grapes from several parcels in the high country of Malleval, Chavanay, and Limony in the far north of the appellation go into this wine. The vines lie closer to Vienne and Condrieu than to Tournon-sur-Rhône in the south and Gaillard’s steep, cool soils have plenty of granite, which contributes to the mineral cut of this perfumed and vibrant Syrah. 

Terroir: Limestone terrace and gravel with pebbles soil.

Winemaking: The grapes are destemmed before fermentation takes place at a temperature of 28° C for 12 days with daily pumping over for maximum colour and flavour extraction. Rack and return is performed twice at the end of the fermentation.

Tasting: Round and smooth Syrah with rich blackberry and plum aromas .

Outstanding Hawke's Bay Syrah which was first made in the early 1990s from iron rich soils. This makes Bullnose one of the oldest Syrah brands in Hawke's Bay, named after one of the vineyards from which the wine is made (which, in turn, was named after the vineyard owners' love of old cars, particularly the pre 1928 Bullnose). The grapes come from two vineyards, Bullnose and Isosceles, both in the Bridge Pa Triangle; one of the warmer growing areas of Hawke's Bay, thanks to both soil and climate there. 

Aging for 15 months in French oak, which provides its spicy notes and depth.

A beautiful wine for drinking now or for cellaring. 

An elegant Syrah from Hawke's Bay winemaker Kate Radburnd, whose extensive experience of making Syrah brings out the best in this exotic spicy French grape variety. Red fruit aromas are supported here by a velvet smooth backbone of fine tannins. Pure fruited and fragrant, with blueberry and cardamon spice. This Syrah has lingering length and persistence of flavour, a hallmark of this variety.

This delicious, dark and juicy new release is made from hand harvested Syrah grapes, which were destemmed and fermented in open tops with some foot stomping. Some whole bunches were incorporated in the ferment.

The vineyards of Domaine du Vieux Lazaret are spread over 93 hectares, split into 35 different parcels of vines throughout A.O.C. Châteauuneuf-du-Pape. It is today among the largest domaines in Châteauuneuf and is owned by the Quiot family.

The Cuvee Exceptionelle is 60% Grenache, 40% Syrah and is juicy abd fruit forward with a decent smattering of new oak providing a palate that is all about dark berry fruits and vanilla. 2015 was a very decent vintage in the Southern Rhone ,and, although drinking now - will do well with time in the cellar.

Vineyard Sites - Cornerstone Vineyard lies at the heart of the renowned Gimblett Gravels viticultural region, strategically positioned at the junction of Gimblett Road and State Highway 50 in Hawke’s Bay. This area is celebrated as New Zealand’s premier Bordeaux red grape-growing region, and it’s easy to see why. The vineyard’s unique terroir, composed of riverbed stones and gravels, challenges the vines, leading them to produce a limited yield of small, intensely coloured, and flavourful berries. The resulting grapes give rise to wines with rich, mouth-filling tannins and a depth of character that speaks to the harsh yet rewarding growing conditions. 

Vinification - The grapes were carefully handpicked and fermented in small, open vats. Traditional hand-plunging techniques were used to gently extract the rich flavours and colour. After fermentation, the wine underwent varying degrees of post-ferment skin contact to enhance complexity before being pressed off. The wine then proceeded to malolactic fermentation and was aged in French oak barriques, with 30% of the barrels being new, adding subtle layers of oak influence and refinement. 

Tasting Notes - Boasting an inky, deep ruby hue, this wine offers aromas of stewed red fruits, hints of raspberry jam, black cherry, black plum, and violets. Subtle light cedar and toast are so well knitted you almost miss them. On the palate, flavours of cooked red plum and hints of tobacco emerge.  The finish is long, with fruit carrying right through. An outstanding wine, perfect to drink now or age.

Legal academic, property dealer and vigneron, Rene Rostaing crafts some of the finest Cote Roties on the market today. He has owned 2 hectares in the Côte Blonde and La Landone since the 1970s but fortune has blessed him through his inheritance of four hectares of superbly sited vineyards from his father in law Albert Dervieux and another 1.4 hectares of particularly old vines from his uncle Marius Gentaz. He now has 7.4 hectares which in Cote Rotie terms is a significant holding. Rostaing is firmly in the modernist camp of Cote Rôtie producers, destemming the majority of his fruit and being one of the first producers to ferment using vinomatics (horizontal automatic vinifiers). However he dislikes the overt taste of new oak and uses a maximum of 15% in the maturation process. All the wines are bottled unfiltered.

From Mullineux Wines

The aim with our Syrah is to give true and complete expression to the Shale & Schist and Granite terroirs in which the vines grow. Approximately half the grapes are whole-bunch fermented and all fermentation is with indigenous yeasts. The wine is aged for 11 months in French oak, 15% new. The wine is bottled unfiltered and unfined.

TASTING NOTES
This perfumed Syrah has notes of spicy citrus rind, refined black fruit, violets and lilies. The palate is elegant and restrained with a silky texture balanced by a fresh, natural acidity. The finish is long with supple tannins. Best served at 16 to 18 °C, this wine will greatly benefit from decanting if drunk within the first 3 to 5 years after bottling.

100% Syrah from the legendary slopes of Hermitage above the town of Tain in the Northern Rhone. 

The soils here are a fabulous mix of limestone, clay, silt soil and sandy gravel and the vines have an average age of over 30 years. The wine matures in barrel for a whopping 36 months with 50% new oak.

Deep ruby red with violet tinges on the eye opening into a spicy nose with red berries and delicate oak aromas. The palate is powerful and tannic with flavours of blackcurrant, vanilla, licorice and spice

"Syrah ‘La Champine’ is a clear example of how the Domaine Jean Michel Gerin is able to make different styles of wine. Ripe and focused, with pure cassis, violet, blackberry and black tea notes framed by a hint of singed apple wood. The long finish is finely tuned." - Maison Vauron 

Le Sol means sunshine or soil, depending on which language you're talking - and either way, it is a lovely evocative description of one of the best Syrahs made in Hawke's Bay every year. This incredibly powerful wine is a beautiful spicy expression of the great Syrah grape from the Northern Rhone Valley. It was aged for 27 months in French oak barriques.