ROCK EARTH SYRAH 2014

Notes:  A 100% Syrah named after our rocky soils on Waiheke coastal single site “The 8 Vineyard". Hand-tended vines, tiny crop yields and a masterful combination of 6 "class A" syrah clones, combine to produce a rich, elegant and complex wine that proudly expresses this unique and spiritual piece of earth. 16 months in 75% new French barriques. Unfined and minimally filtered. Symbolic of a stable home and protective place. An expression of this great earth. Influenced by the great Cote Rotie in the northern Rhone valley where Luc studied and worked.

Cellar at 13-15 ºC. Drink: 2018 – 2028.

Alcohol: 14.0%

Varietal: Syrah

Region: Waiheke Island, New Zealand

Accolades:
96/100 – Bob Campbell MW
“Deep and moderately dense syrah with cassis, red-fleshed plum, pepper and chocolate/mocha flavours. Intense wine with a core of sweet fruit that's nicely restrained by fine, ripe tannins and mouth-watering acidity. A delicious wine with a promising future.” – Bob Campbell MW

5 stars – Michael Cooper
The densely coloured 2014 vintage (5*) was estate-grown in The 8 Vineyard and matured for 16 months in French oak barriques (60 per cent new). Still a baby, it is powerful and highly concentrated, with a firm backbone of tannin and bold blackcurrant, plum and spice flavours. Showing obvious potential, it should be at its best 2022+. – Michael Cooper

96/100 - Cameron Douglas MS. A bouquet that smells complete, a distinctive aromatic presence of dark almost broody even angry red berries - cherries and raspberry, dark plums and spices, a haunting almost steely core, dried herb and sweet tobacco. Complex and seductive. On the palate - fruity, ripe, toasty, rich, powerful and a bold statement of Syrah. Pepper and black olive, raspberry and black currant, ripe plum and clove-sweet oak. Young, still developing, but also drinkable today. Cellar upon purchase with best drinking from 2022 through 2028.