Top 10 New Zealand Syrah
There's never been a better time to drink New Zealand Syrah, according to Decanter expert Bob Campbell MW. Discover his top 10 New Zealand Syrah.
Surprise an expert and choose any one of these 10 New Zealand Syrah and serve it alongsside a glass of good Rhone from the same vintage. He or she won’t find it easy to pick the French wine.
New Zealand’s best Syrahs have similar floral, pepper and dark berry notes to many of the wines from the northern Rhone. And when Kiwi winemakers co-ferment their Syrah with a little Viognier, the aromatics and texture of the resulting wine are remarkably like Cote-Rotie.
New Zealand’s top Syrah regions are Waiheke Island, just 18km from Auckland, and Hawke’s Bay on the east coast of the North Island. The Waiheke wines tend to be richer and more vinous than the fruit-focused wines from Hawke’s Bay.
Many winemakers believe that an 800-hectare river bed in Hawke’s Bay called Gimblett Gravels is the country’s sweet Syrah spot. Others disagree, pointing to hillside vineyards that in favourable vintages can produce very special wine indeed. Half of my top ten choices are from Gimblett Gravels, including three of my first four.
There has never been a better time to buy and drink New Zealand Syrah. The 2013 vintage was univerally hailed as Hawke’s Bay’s best ever and Waiheke also experienced near perfect harvest conditions.
These 2013s are just starting to hit UK wine shelves now. But don’t worry if you miss out – 2014 is runoured to be nearly as good, although I have yet to taste enough wines to support the claim.
Craggy Range, Le Sol, Gimblett Gravels, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand, 2013
Intensly aromatic Syrah with dark berry and violets leading the charge. Oriental spices and spicy French oak are added on the palate. Clearly a powerful...
2013
Craggy RangeGimblett Gravels
Esk Valley, Gimblett Gravels, Winemakers Reserve Syrah, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand, 2013
97
Fermented in open-top concrete fermenters (unusual in NZ, common in the Rhône). Intense, rich Syrah – plum, berry and exotic spice flavours with a more savoury, roasted coffee influence. A weighty red with a long finish.
2013
Esk Valley
Sacred Hill, Gimblett Gravels, Deerstalkers Syrah, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand, 2013
97
Very Rhôney, with Hermitage- like intensity. A core of dark berry fruits, violet and black pepper notes almost hide a firm tannic structure that will help the wine age gracefully.
2013
Sacred Hill
Te Mata, Bullnose Syrah, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand, 2013
Elegant, powerful Syrah with intense dark berry fruit, violets and mixed spice. Lovely and aromatic with a firm structure of fine tannins.
2013
Te Mata
Man O’War, Dreadnought Waiheke Island, Auckland, New Zealand, 2013
96
Big, dense Syrah with sweet plum, cassis, liquorice, mocha and nutty oak flavours. Appealing and surprisingly approachable with Christmas cake-like dried fruit intensity.
2013
Man O’War
Cable Bay, Reserve Syrah, Auckland, New Zealand, 2013
96
Co-fermented with 2% Viognier to give a silken-textured Syrah with lifted aromas, including blueberry, floral notes, cracked black pepper and spicy oak. A pleasure to drink now.
2013
Cable Bay
Vidal, Legacy Syrah, Gimblett Gravels, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand, 2013
96
Slick, classy Syrah with a seamless, silky texture and typical varietal flavours of plum and dark berry, violet notes, star anise and spicy French oak.
2013
VidalGimblett Gravels
Bilancia, Gimblett Gravels, La Collina, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand, 2013
96
Syrah that has been built for the long-haul. Fermenting on whole clusters has provided a firm, tannic structure that is balanced by sweet berry fruits and ripe plum. It has the potential to develop great complexity. Heroic!
2013
Bilancia
Passage Rock, Reserve Syrah, Waiheke Island, Aukland, New Zealand, 2013
95
From grapes grown on the oldest Syrah vines on Waiheke Island. Dense, ripe and weighty with dark chocolate, cracked pepper, berry, plum and nutty oak flavours. Accessible now, better later.
2013
Passage Rock
Matua, Single Vineyard Matheson Syrah, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand, 2013
95
<p>The success of this organic wine is as much about Matua’s fairly recent decision to produce top, single-vineyard wines as it is about vineyard site and a stellar vintage. Talented winemaker Nikolai St George chose the vineyard in the Bridge Pa Triangle district of Hawke’s Bay because the soils are heavier than in other areas of the region so, in a dry year, they stay cool and stop the vine from struggling. This is the only one of the five Outstanding wines that was co-fermented with a ‘handful’ of Viognier grapes. No sulphur dioxide was added until 10 months after harvest – St George preferred to use biological control instead.</p> <p> </p> <p><em><strong>Melanie Brown</strong></em><br /> Generous palate fuelled with savoury nuances, pretty violet aromatics and generous weight. The richness on the palate is pure and fresh, and finishes dry with good tannic structure.</p> <p> </p> <p><em><strong>Christine Parkinson</strong></em><br /> Old leather and clotted cream aromas; vivid floral, blackberry, black cherry and blueberry fruit. Smooth tannins, well integrated oak and a long finish. Polished and charming.</p> <p> </p> <p><em><strong>Philip Tuck MW</strong></em><br /> Iodine character and dense, concentrated fruit. Lovely swetness on the middle which will give much pleasure. Excellent and difficult. Experts Choice Seductively sweet and silken-textured Syrah with almost succulent plum and dark berry flavours, together with a seasoning of cracked black pepper, liquorice, shoe box and subtle toasty oak.</p>
2013
Matua
