Vidal Reserve Gimblett Gravels Syrah 2015
Winemaker Hugh Crichton has created a cracker of a syrah that's intensely perfumed with blackcurrant, peppercorn, bitter cocoa and saturated all that with loads of dark fruits, hints of leather and loaded with long, lip-puckering tannins. Mouthwateringly good, it's a syrah that should cost
double in my book. Superb stuff.
Sip with pulled beef and mushroom stroganoff.
Bodegas Sottano Reserva de Familia Mendoza Malbec 2012
Brothers Diego, Pablo and Maurico Sottano head this impressively modern Argentinian operation, yet their family have farmed in Mendoza since 1890. Prepare for a whoomph of pepper, salted cocoa, leather and soy on the nose, followed by elegant, dried herb and wild game complexity on the palate.
Sip with slow-cooked beef short ribs - arriba!
Millton Clos de Ste. Anne The Crucible Syrah 2015
Google will tell you "the crucible" is a play about the Salem witch trials. Wikipedia will tell you a "crucible" is a ceramic or metal container in which metals or other substances may be melted or subjected to very high temperatures. I'm going with the latter in this case. Sourced from a tiny, hillside heat-trap just outside of Gisborne, it's glossy, packed with white pepper and shows iodine and soy-like complexity on the finish. Age-worthy and wickedly good.
Sip with peppered venison.
Yvonne Lorkin is co-founder and chief tasting officer of winefriend.co.nz and a Wine Writers of NZ member.
