2013 HOMAGE SYRAH

Vineyards: Sourced largely (85%) from company owned Gimblett Gravels vineyards in the sub- region of Hawkes Bay. The remaining fruit is from our hillside grown vines neigbouring the winery on Roys Hill. The Gravels soil consist of deep river shingle deposited over time by the Ngaruroro River as it changed course. The exposed greywacke gravel stones absorb and re- radiate heat and are extremely free draining. The Hillside is a sandstone/limestone soil with fantastic North-west facing aspect.

These are perfect conditions for growing Syrah.

 

Variety: 98.7 % Syrah. 1.3 % Viognier.
18 year-old Mass Selection clone vines along with a small % of new clonal material of appropriate vine age.

 

Harvest Detail: 100% hand-picked between the 21st March to 17th April

 

Bottling Detail:

Alcohol13.1 %
Titratable acidity6.1 g/l
pH3.88
Residual sugar0.23 g/l

 

Winemaking and Viticulture:

2013 was an exceptional quality vintage for Syrah in Hawkes Bay. A fantastic warm summer followed by an extremely dry autumn meant the fruit was able to be harvested at perfect ripeness.

Special canopy management of the vines along with impeccable viticulture during the growing season ensured that the fruit quality was of the highest order. Pruning and shoot/bunch thinning at appropriate times gave a crop level of around 5 tonnes per hectare (approximately 35 Hectolitres per hectare).

Hand-picked grapes were sorted with 70% de-stemmed and lightly crushed to leave a large portion of complete berries. 30% of the remaining volume of fruit was 100% fermented as whole bunches. The cap was hand-plunged and/or pumped over twice daily for optimum colour and tannin extraction. The average time on skins was 28 days with one component up to 56 days. This post-fermentation maceration helps with the complexity of tannins, softening and stabilising the wine.

The wine was subsequently aged in predominantly new French oak barriques for 12 months, with malo-lactic fermentation beginning in tank and finishing in barrel. The wine in barrel was not racked during this time. Some barrel stirring was carried out when appropriate.

 

The Wine:

The 2013 Homage is beautifully floral with interwoven berry purity and oak sophistication. Comparisons in structure can be made with the stellar 2002 vintage, though there is an extra dimension of florality and seamlessness coming from increased vine age and the presence of whole bunch fermentation. 2013 has produced a wine that is very powerful and fragrant. The wine shows great concentration and weight with a very crucial elegance. The structure is tight and tense which will allow the wine to age gracefully for many years (10+). Enjoy this wine with lamb or game.