The second half of a double header of sorts as I’ve been tasting through a selection of fuller bodied reds, which seemed highly appropriate during the erratic weather of early February.
Hopefully by the time you read this, things may have picked up.
A mix of Kiwi Syrah and Australian Shiraz today and yet while they are the same grape variety, the climate in their respective places of origin fashions very different red wines.
Plump vs svelte would be hugely oversimplifying it, but there’s no doubt that Barossa Shiraz has some flesh on its bones and cuddly richness to boot.
2018 Elephant Hill Hawke’s Bay Syrah
Price RRP $31 Rating Excellent
Dark and brooding, brown paper, then baking spices, tar, olive tapenade and dark fruits, humus later. Fleshy and richly fruited, ripe yet not sweet, perhaps more medium-bodied than the nose might infer with lovely integration and balance. An attractive herbal undercurrent, ink and tar atop the fruit, a wisp of burnt butter later. Lots to enjoy, drinking well already.
Fragrant nose with notes of menthol/eucalypt, spices and mixed red and dark fruits, berry compote later. Sweetly fruited, yet not overblown, mouth-filling, powerful yet ripe tannins and a fine sense of balance. Licorice and tilled earth join the oak spices, blackberry, blueberry and darker fruits which flow to a long, fruit- filled close. Sumptuous.
Savoury nuances, a wisp of funk, an inky quality, perfumed florality with mixed red fruits/red berries. Deceptive power with firm, grainy tannins adding a lip-smacking quality. Redcurrant and raspberry lead, spices, oak flavours and dusty gravels, a little toffee note later. This swells in the glass, tannins melting into the wine. Seamless. You can luxuriate in this.
Sweet, ripe fruits, fragrance wafting from the glass, brightness, violets later. Real juiciness to the fruit matched by some attractively mouth- puckering tannins, this dances in the mouth with vibrancy and energy. Currants, spices, stony nuances shifting to a darker fruit spectrum with a long finish. A youthful quality to this, but lovely drinkability too. Value here.
Fascinating nose. A little wildness, humus, dark fruits, perfume, brooding. Powerful, lots of palate impact, managing ripe fruit without overt sweetness, a perfumed core cosseted by the powerful tannic structure, with wisps of minerals and leather. A depth and intensity that draws you back for more, leaving you salivating. Approachable but built for the future.
Mint and menthol leap from the glass, vanillin oak, coconut, perhaps chocolate and charming fruit. A rush of red fruits and spices lead, before the tannins surge in. Bold, chewy, a real mouthful here in classic Aussie shiraz style. The sweet fruit hangs in the mouth developing a savoury quality as it opens up. Bold, ripe and eminently slurpable.
