A single vineyard wine from the organic Clayvin vineyard in Marlborough’s Southern Valleys. Deepest ruby colour – inky, opaque and brooding. A youthful, complex bouquet of bramble, thyme, cigar and red plum, lit with a top note of buddleia and spring flowers – quite compelling. Concentrated and still quite taut, with robust, grippy tannins; but this is a young wine with lots of places to go, still. Layers of flavours abound – there’s spice: with nutmeg, white pepper and cloves.
Then the lush fruit is filling the palate – cassis, blueberry and redcurrant. Quite a bit of savoury element in here too, with roast fennel and tamarillo, blackcurrant leaf, olive and smoked meat. Minerals showing with an iron earthiness and balanced with a sweeter liquorice and mocha note. The finish is long and drying, with a nice savoury ending. 94pts. Elegant and with real character, a very good interpretation of our New Zealand take on Syrah.
