ROCK EARTH SYRAH 2015

Notes:  A 100% Syrah named after our rocky soils on Waiheke coastal single site “The 8 Vineyard". Hand-tended vines, tiny crop yields and a masterful combination of 6 "class A" syrah clones, combine to produce a rich, elegant and complex wine that proudly expresses this unique and spiritual piece of earth. 16 months in 75% new French barriques. Unfined and minimally filtered. Symbolic of a stable home and protective place. An expression of this great earth. Influenced by the great Cote Rotie in the northern Rhone valley where Luc studied and worked.

Cellar at 13-15 ºC. Drink: 2018 – 2028.

Alcohol: 14.0%

Varietal: Syrah

Region: Waiheke Island, New Zealand

Accolades:
95/100 – Bob Campbell MW
“Dense, flavoursome Syrah with ripe plum, dark berry, cassis, cocoa powder, black pepper and nutty oak flavours. An impressive wine with depth and personality. Elegant but generously proportioned.” – Bob Campbell MW

5 stars - Michael Cooper. Grown at the base of the Te Whau Peninsula, this small-volume, single-vineyard red has great personality. The memorable 2015 vintage (5*) was matured for 16 months in French oak barriques (75 per cent new). Deeply coloured, it is highly concentrated, with blackcurrant, plum and spice flavours, vibrant and dense, and a vague hint of liquorice. Almost supercharged, but not, it's a terrific wine.

95/100 - "Outstanding" - Cam Douglas MS
"Powerful and distinctive bouquet with aromas of dark berries and spices, baked blackberry pie, dried raspberries, aged meats and pepper. Youthful, complex, rich in character and bouquet. This is a big and bold wine on the palate, has power and muscle, a core of fruit and an equally bold statement of oak. Warming alcohol, a back bone of acidity, the flavours of dark berries are as forceful as those of smoky wood and tannins. The finish has flavours of plums and black currants, wood spice and clove. Young still and needing some cellar time, but with the right food can be enjoyed from today and through 2030+."