Te Mata Estate Bullnose Syrah 2019

This cuvée comes from Hawke's Bay, on the east coast of New Zealand's North Island. It is made from Te Mata's Bullnose, Hotspur and Isosceles vineyards, the first of which was planted in 1990 on old, iron-rich red soils. The sunny climate, sheltered by the inland mountains, allows the Syrah to reach full ripeness.

The grapes were picked by hand from 3 to 17 April 2019, with each plot vinified separately. They are destemmed, then fermented warm with punching down, before extended maceration on the skins and malolactic fermentation. The wines are aged for 14 months in new and used French oak barrels, then blended and bottled in October 2020.

This wine reveals notes of raspberry, black cherry, dried strawberry, lilac, black pepper, liquorice, chocolate and sweet spices. Red and black fruit comes with floral and peppery notes. The palate is silky and taut, carried by velvety tannins and an elegant structure that promises fine ageing potential.

Introduced in 1819, winegrowing was greatly developed by Jean-Baptiste Pompallier, a French Marist missionary. Sent to Oceania in 1837, he settled there from January 1838 to develop New Zealand's vineyards. The first quality vineyards were established in the Hawke's Bay region in the 19th and early 20th centuries. After production setbacks caused first by phylloxera and then by the First World War, the vineyards began to expand again during the Second World War, when their area doubled. Today New Zealand has 10 major wine regions spread across the North and South Islands, the largest of which is Marlborough. Most of New Zealand's wine regions have a maritime climate. The country's long, narrow shape means that vineyards are never more than 120 km from the coast, and most are much closer than that (with the exception of the semi-continental Central Otago region). A backbone of mountains running down the centre of the country shields most of the main wine regions from the strong westerly winds of the Tasman Sea known as the "Roaring Forties". Because of these winds, there are few wine regions on New Zealand's west coast. The quality and reputation of New Zealand wines are well established. Indeed, the country produces some of the best and most acclaimed Sauvignon Blanc in the world. And it is no coincidence that New Zealand has made Sauvignon Blanc its symbol, just like its sheep, its kiwis and its legendary haka!