The Auswine Forum

So I checked out the Sydney International Top 100 winners and what do you know – Brookfields Hillside Syrah 2002 was top wine in the Full Bodied Reds Category and Best Dry Red Table Wine of the Show.
Where is it from? Hawkes Bay, New Zealand.

This is the second time in an Australian competition that NZ has pipped the Aussies. I'm gloating. Last time was the tri-nations challenge.

What is it about NZ Syrah? IÂ’d say it's the striking purple-red/black colour, the wonderful aromas of floral and spice intertwining with oak and berry fruit, vibrant berry fruit flavours, the sweet core of fruit, the supple tannins and the savoury complexities that all build on the palate to a long lingering finish.

I only tasted the Brookfields as a barrel sample last June but here's a few Hawkes Bay Syrah's I've tasted in the past month.

Bilancia Syrah 2002
As black as they come, a shiny black with purple rims like a ripe blackberry bursting with pristine ripe fruit. Tasting this black beauty I find a beautifully crafted wine, a rich creamy wine with fabulous fruit weight, ripe tannin structure and a lovely profile of peppery spice. Long and persistent in the palate with plums, berries, currants and chocolatey oak, itÂ’s a big wine, built to last and the fine seam of acidity will ensure it does that.

Craggy Range Block 14 Syrah 2002
Opaque purple black. Chocolate raisins on the smoky nose, a brooding dark bitter chocolate, plums, cherry and lots of sweet oak. There's good acidity that lifts the finish and the wine lingers well. Would not have picked it as NZ syrah at first though finally the pepper comes out to play. A blockbuster style.

Stonecroft Syrah 2002
Deeply coloured, almost black, with a crimson brightness to its hue. Wonderfully floral aromatics with the peppery signature of Syrah backed up by fabulous berry fruit and tar. Bright fruits, sweet ripe fruits with fantastic concentration, just the slightest hint of leather, honeyed oak and aromatic spices of anise, musk and liquorice, a dry wine with fruit sweetness throughout, it's soft and round wine with wonderful balance and the wine lingers with a fragrant persistence. 13.5% alc.

Te Mata Bullnose Syrah 2002
Red black, almost opaque. Fragrant with bright fruit, gentle oak and fruit spice, almost floral, a little peppery, some savoury herbs, it smells clean, varietal. Concentrated red berry fruits and fragrant spices in the palate with new leather, and a peppery brightness to the creamy finish with perhaps just a hint of 'Black Forest' chocolate. Soft, supple ripe fruit tannins, a meaty nuance and great length.

Vidal Soler Syrah 2002
Inky red-black. Aromatic, slightly minty with creamy oak and cocoa powder on nose together with cracked pepper and exotic spices, there's lots of spice in the palate too. It's clean to the taste with cherry, tar, savoury herbs and terrific balance of everything. A beautiful wine with lovely tannin structure and fruit lift on the lingering chocolatey finish.

Cheers,
Sue

Sue, appreciate your notations but at what price do we get these gems here in Australia and on that score does Aus Shiraz still provide more bang for your buck?

Steve

Steve,
You could ask the same question of your own wines providing bang for the buck when I see Penfolds RWT ($115) and Taylors Shiraz ($15) sitting beside each other on the medal listing. Acutally that Taylors Shiraz 2002 is one of the great buys with gold in England, NZ and Australia that I know of to date.

I don't know the prices in Australian but given that these NZ wines represent gold medal/ 5-star quality across the board, I've pulled some prices off some retail wesbites to give you an idea. Sorry - in NZ dollars.

Brookfields $40
Bilancia $29
Craggy Range $30
Stonecroft $38
Te Mata $36
Vidal $34

Here are some Aussies, most won blue-gold in the competition.

Penfolds Wines RWT Barossa Valley Shiraz $115
E & E Black Pepper $96
Yalumba Octavius $80
d'Arenberg The Dead Arm Shiraz $66
Print Mitchelton Shiraz $50
Wirra Wirra Vineyards McLaren Vale Shiraz $26
Step Rd Winery Shiraz $23
Cape Mentell Shiraz $32
Taylors Wines Shiraz $15

What do you reckon?

Cheers,
Sue

Sue

Shame that only ONE (Craggy Range $45) of your listed wines made it to the New Zealand Wine Fairs here in Australia.

One of the NZ Wine people said they were only showing their cheap range, hoping to get that on Oz bottle shop shelves. Hmmm

Would have been nice if they could have taken just one of their flagship wines to the show.

Incidently, tried a first vintage Pinot Noir from TerraVin ($42) which I thought in the top five of the show.

Graham

Graham,
I guess NZ Syrah is still a fairy rare commodity. Although there are quite a few producers they don't produce that much between them. In 2002 there was 117 hectares of Syrah planted, compared to 2029ha of Pinot Noir, 3427ha of Chardonnay and 4344ha of Sauvignon Blanc.
Although more vineyards are coming on, less was produced in 2003 because of the cold Spring and with the big cold we've had this past February it's hard to predict what will happen with Syrah in 2004.

Cheers,
Sue

Re: Brookfields Syrah.....Peter only made 400 cases of this wine and it will retail for around $40.....only 50 cases coming over here.

GrahamB wrote:Sue

Shame that only ONE (Craggy Range $45) of your listed wines made it to the New Zealand Wine Fairs here in Australia.

One of the NZ Wine people said they were only showing their cheap range, hoping to get that on Oz bottle shop shelves. Hmmm

Would have been nice if they could have taken just one of their flagship wines to the show.

Incidently, tried a first vintage Pinot Noir from TerraVin ($42) which I thought in the top five of the show.

Graham

Agreed, I was looking forward to trying a few more given the recent rumblings. I did like the Craggy Range.

Also agreed on the Terravin, one of the better Pinots (along with Pegasus Bay) among a group that for me had a lot of sameness about them.

Cheers

Andrew

The finish on the vidals solar is one of the longest ive ever experienced. It seems the fruit is very concentrated and just cascades across the palate for an eternity after swallowing. The high alc (14.8%) obviously is carried by this and gives it a texture which many of the others (including craggy) doesnt really have. I think it will only improve over the short to medium term

Its a bit bolder than the brookfields and a little more primary.

The appeal with the brookfields is that it is already so integrated and shows some development already. A lovely wine which is perhaps a little more lightweight but has a super texture and great complexity already

I also tried the matariki reserve syrah which was pretty tidy, though a bit more expensive.

tried the esk reserve which was a massive 14.9% alc, the mission reserve, trinity hill reserves, 00 and 01, te awa farm etc

For me the vidals was the star with its masculine concentration and depth of flavour and silky texture.

what do people see with the taylors shiraz???

to me it has always had thin confection fruit over forced charry oak and piles of alcohol out of balance with the weight of the wine

it is sickly and is a total dud next to a wynns shiraz

just my tactful opinion

Craig, have you tried the 2001 and 2001 Taylors shiraz? They are starting to get their act together again after many years in the doldrums. The 2002 is a decent wine for $A14 or so.

Brian, with the 2002 Taylors I totally agree. It's fabulous bang for the bucks as Steve (guest) coins the phrase. Juicy, plenty of structure, lots of flavour, a soft full-bodied crowd-pleasing red.

Craig, I think you must have had a dud bottle.

Cheers,
Sue

I 2nd on the Taylor's Shiraz 02. Terrific Q$R. Their Cab01 is even better.

How Rosemount Diamond Merlot got in was beyond my imagination

Craig(NZ). wrote:what do people see with the Taylors shiraz???

Craig, I had the 02 Taylors and 02 Wynns side by side a few weeks ago, and the Taylors was more refined and balanced, and made the Wynns look clumsy and chunky. I had steered away from taylors in the past, but the 02 is pretty good here at A$13 or $14,

cheers

Andrew

hi sue and steve

I don't think it's fair to compare between the 2 groups of wines. They are worlds apart in terms of style. Admittedly i have not tried all of them but if you really have to compare them in terms of quality and style (and price) the closest matchup would be cape mentelle vs craggy range block 14.

I couldn't seem to find a decent bottle of NZ syrah for under $30 even in NZ. The 2nd-tier/2nd-label syrahs (~$20) are too thin, weedy and herbal....not even quaffable. On the other hand a few aussie shiraz at the $15-20 price bracket are actually nice and drinkable...mainly due to the stylistic difference....the so called "crowd-pleasing" (that crowd includes me) fruit-driven/sweeter style.

so steve, if you looking for good value NZ syrahs,
-below $20 range: There is nothing good from NZ (sue please let me know if you find one!)
-premium range $30-50: in terms of elegance and complexity those syrahs mentioned would compare favourably to the cool-climate style aussie shiraz
-super premium-end >$50: hey, we don't make those oaky syrupy blockbusters over here! . but seriously I have yet to see a NZ syrah that is good enough to put into that price bracket except dry river.

cheers
eddie

ive tried a few taylors from various vintages including one a couple of years back that was a gold medal winner and i hated it. my fathe in law used to buy it

however brian may have hit the nail on the head...i havent tried it for a few vintages and the thought still makes me cringe the experience was so bad!! - stewed, chared thin and overly alcholic

i have tried the cabernet and i found that pretty good actually

Sue, Craig etc.,

Can you provide any track record on the cellarabilty of these better Hawkes Bay Syrahs. I was extremely impressed with the Craggy Range, GW opened last year. TIA

Ed W wrote:hi sue and steve
I don't think it's fair to compare between the 2 groups of wines.

Agreed. But when the subject was raised it seemed obvious to point it out.

Ed W wrote:I couldn't seem to find a decent bottle of NZ syrah for under $30 even in NZ.

Between $20 and $30 - you should get 5c change from a $30 note with the Craggy Block 14.
Vidal have another Syrah that sells about $24, I've tasted it but I haven't found it on the shelves yet. It could be the one they've labelled 'Stopbank'. It's quite good.

Ed W wrote:-below $20 range: There is nothing good from NZ (sue please let me know if you find one!)

Under $20 - only once. It was a Morton Estate White Label Syrah a few years ago - the 1998 and it cost $17.95. Haven't seen a Syrah from them since.

Ed W wrote:-super premium-end >$50: hey, we don't make those oaky syrupy blockbusters over here! . but seriously I have yet to see a NZ syrah that is good enough to put into that price bracket except dry river.

Over $50. Craggy Le Sol is up there.

Where is Fragrant Harbour? Is that on Lake Sunset?

Cheers,
Sue

David Lole wrote:Sue, Craig etc.,

Can you provide any track record on the cellarabilty of these better Hawkes Bay Syrahs. I was extremely impressed with the Craggy Range, GW opened last year. TIA

David,
Stonecroft and Te Mata are the only Hawkes Bay ones with any track record to gauge from. Last weekend I tried the Stonecroft 1989 Syrah and while a good wine I would not have picked it as Syrah if tasting blind. But it was the first one Alan Limmer made and it was at the time when 'big is best' so it was extracted like heck and 10% Cabernet had to be added to top up the barrel. It had good colour, a sweet core of fruit, good tannin structure, a smooth creamy palate and a lifted finish though well into its secondary phase of development with leathery overtones. Overall a fantastic wine for its age. Just not distinctly varietal.

Alan Limmer planted his Syrah in 1984 and since he has been making wine from it he says it is the one grape that performs well in most conditions. 1998 - the hot year - was one that did not really work for him.

I think based on this track record, the good ones will cellar well.

Cheers,
Sue

I've been lucky enough to taste a dozen or so NZ syrahs recently and probably something like 50 - 60 NZ pinots, some of them more than once. Two interesting things came of that: some of the syrahs are stunning, and I have no doubt that they'll age well, even if some of them are off young vines. The best have great style, great texture, and great fruit purity - if they were available in Australia, I would happily buy them. When you think of the "exciting" shiraz regions of this neck of the woods, Hawkes Bay NZ, Frankland River WA, Beechworth Vic, Yarra Valley Vic and Canberra-ish Nsw/Act are the stars of the next 5-10 years.

The other interesting thing was that although the general standard of the NZ pinots was beautifully high, I didn't think that it was any better than the best wines coming from the 2002 vintage of the Yarra Valley, Geelong and Mornington Peninsula in Victoria. In other words, NZ have won the PR battle of "best new world pinot producer', and from a consistency point of view they are the best ... but from a 'best of the best from the best vintages' perspective, NZ is not better or worse than Australia for pinot right now.

Ahh, the controversy

Campbell.

thanks sue for the info...i did forget about Le Sol.

btw if you didnt have to buy from your favourite northshore wine shop the craggy block 14 was even cheaper

lake sunset!? fragrant harbour is what Hong Kong literally means in english which was an accurate description 150 years ago ....full of fragrant of opium that is (as a worldwide trading portal at that time)...

eddie

Hi Ed,
Well Lake Sunset does a particular fragrance at times Sorry I didn't know the relationship with Hong Kong.

If I was buying Craggy from the North Shore shop I would factor in a 10% discount on the list price with the VC Card program, which would bring it down to about $27. Searched for it on the web. At Regional it is $29. Where do you buy for less in Auckland? It's not listed on FWDC or Lovrich sites.

Regional have Le Sol 01 listed for $63.40.

Cheers,
Sue