Elephant Hill Airavata 2020 Syrah, Hawke's Bay

Fabulous colour and intensity with polished ruby and purple hues lead to a complex and layered bouquet of ripe red berry fruits, flowers and spices, an earthy stone and clay soil suggestion and oak with a myriad baking spices and smoky oak. There’s a lovely pretty side to the bouquet that unfurls slowly as the wine becomes ambient. Delicious on the palate beginning with a youthful and quite locked up attack with a taut texture and firmness from tannins and acidity. Then, as the wine begins to open out and relax just a little the core flavours of variety and complexity begin to show with fresh, baked and compote of black currant, boysenberry and meat, savoury almost peppery mushroom then clove and smoky wood with a whisper of bacon. There’s a nut and dark cacao note and violets. An outstanding wine that needs your patience cellar. Best drinking from 2027 through 2040.

97 Points

Outstanding

RRP from $125.00

Ø  60% Stone vineyard (Gimblett Gravels), 40% Earth vineyard (Bridge Pa)

Ø  99% Syrah, 80% 470, 20% MS, 1% Viognier, handpicked on 24/3, 28/3 & 1/4

Ø  30% whole cluster, inoculated & natural primary ferment with Viognier, natural malolactic in spring

Ø  24 mths barrel (40% new) plus 4 mths in tank, all on light lees

Ø  110 cs (9l) produced