Appelation: Hawke’s Bay

Vineyards: Gimblett Gravels

Variety: Syrah

Harvest Detail: Picked: 24^th March to 4^th April

Bottling Detail:

Winemaking:

2014 was an exceptional quality vintage for Syrah in Hawkes Bay. A fantastic warm summer was followed by an mild and dry early Autumn.

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 60% de-stemmed and lightly crushed to leave a large portion of complete berries. 40% 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 30 days with one component up to 54 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 14 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 2014 Homage is beautifully floral with interwoven berry purity and oak sophistication. This is a karder fruited vintage with brambly, blackberry notes dominating the aromatics. There is a dimension of florality and seamlessness coming from increased vine age and the presence of whole bunch fermentation. 2014 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+).