Te Awanga Mister Syrah 2017
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Mister Syrah is bright and vibrant in colour with aromas of raspberries, violets and nutmeg. The palate is silky with great balance and a fine structure. A wine styled for approachability.
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The color of rose petals, this is a refreshingly lightweight, accessible Syrah that clocks in at just 11.5% alcohol. Aromas are bouncy and fresh: rhubarb and cranberry, savory herbal and floral notes and a slight roasted, charred quality. The palate is medium in weight, with a savory streak amid crunchy, silky fruit and soft but structured tannins. There’s a medicinal bite to the finish. An autumnal wine for drinking now. Editors’ Choice
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Tasting Panel
Meaty aromas accented by sage and plum lead to a garden of violets. White pepper is sprinkled throughout a palate of juicy and ripe red fruit that speaks of satiny texture and minerality, with red tea and nettle on the finish.
Marked by an unmistakable deep purple hue and savory aromatics, Syrah makes an intense, powerful and often age-worthy red. Native to the Northern Rhône, Syrah achieves its maximum potential in the steep village of Hermitage and plays an important component in the Red Rhône Blends of the south, adding color and structure to Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah is the most widely planted grape of Australia and is important in California and Washington. Sommelier Secret—Such a synergy these three create together, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre trio often takes on the shorthand term, “GSM.”
An eclectic region on the east coast of the North Island, Hawkes Bay extends from wide, fertile, coastal plains, inland, to the coast range, whose peaks reach as high as 5,300 feet. While the flatter areas were historically more popular because they are easier to cultivate, their alluvial soils can be too fertile for vines. In the late 20th century, the drive for quality led growers to the hills where soils are free-draining, limestone-rich and more suited to producing high quality wines.
Over the passing of time, the old Ngaruroro River laid down deep, gravelly beds, which were subsequently exposed after a huge flood in the 1860’s. In the 1980s growers identified this stretch, which continues for approximately 800 ha, and named it the Gimblett Gravels. The zone has proven to be ideal for the production of excellent red wines, particularly Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah.
Today the area takes well-earned recognition for its Bordeaux blends and other reds. Expressive of intense stewed red and black berry with gentle herbaceous characters, Gimblett Gravels wines are suggestive of their cool climate origin, and on par with other top-notch Bordeaux blends around the globe.
Chardonnay is the top white grape in Hawkes Bay, making elegant wines, strong in stone fruit character. Sauvignon blanc comes in close behind, notable for its tropical, fruit forward qualities.