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"Chalk Ridge" Select Vineyards Hawkes Bay Syrah 2018

NZ $26.60 incl GST

"The essense of Hawkes Bay syrah"

SKU 01028

Category Select Vineyards Wines, Hawkes Bay, Syrah

Description

Winemakers Notes

This wine is entirely from our Chalk Ridge block, just to the south of Havelock North. It is a steep, north facing amphitheatre that is strewn with fossilised limestone. We harvested two different parts of the vineyard on 24^th March 2018. A small amount of Viognier is included as whole cluster fruit in one of the ferments (overall 1.27%). The fruit was in fabulous condition in 2018 and we think that this may be one of the best ever wines to come off this very special block. Post ferment and MLF the wines went off to French oak (27% new). Final assemblage occurred in May 2019 and the wine was bottled on 12^th June 2019.

Analysis

Alc	13%
Acid	6.4 g/L
Res sugar	<1 g/L
pH	3.57

Tasting Notes

Colour:	A beautiful deep purple/red, with a dense, dark core and bright, flashing purple rim.
Bouquet:	The essence of Hawkes Bay Syrah: masses of black fruits, a touch of pepper, some meatiness and lovely, savoury oak.
Palate:	A beautifully structured wine. Medium to full bodied with silken tannins and great length. The fruit in the mid palate lasts and lasts.

Cellaring
Already approachable, but we expect this wine to cellar for a number of years.

Food Matches
The soft tannins, ripe fruit flavours, black pepper and spice make this wine a great accompaniment to many meat dishes such as lamb, venison, beef and game. The bolder and more complex style means that it will stand up to richer flavours and accompaniments.

Suggested wine list description
A rich and full-bodied wine full of dark fruit flavours with lashings of black pepper and a long savoury finish.

Independent Reviewer’s Comment
“This sturdy, finely structured, highly fragrant red was hand-harvested, blended with a splash of viognier (1.3%) and matured for a year in French oak casks (27% new). It has excellent concentration of plum, spice and black pepper flavours, showing good complexity, and a lasting finish. Best drinking 2022+.”

M Cooper, Nov 2019