Mills Reef Winery's premium syrah variety has won a gold medal at the London International Wine Challenge.
Judges were impressed by the Tauranga-based firm's Elspeth Syrah 2009 from the Trust Vineyard in the Gimblett Gravels near Hastings.
They said the wine had cool pepper and mint on the palate, intense with redfruits, spice, acidity and persistence.
The Trust Vineyard is a 4ha block, planted in the perfectly suited varieties of Syrah (82 per cent) and Cabernet Sauvignon (18 per cent) during the winter of 2003 and 2004. Its stony free-draining soils, warm mesoclimate and vineyard design that embraces the French philosophy of intensive planting (6300 vines per hectare) for low vine yields ensures grapes of exceptionally high quality, said winemaker Paddy Preston.
He said the latest success reinforces "our belief in the potential for Gimblett Gravels Syrah to become a global benchmark for this variety".
The vineyard's 2007 vintage of Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon have amassed six 5-star awards, three gold medals, and a coveted Trophy.
