So remember the syrah I turned my nose up at, on the flight over? Boy was I ever wrong!
I knew about the NZ Pinot Noir coming over. And I had heard that there were various Bordeaux blends from Hawkes Bay. But NOBODY was talking about syrah.
Well they should.
This is a different style of syrah, still with the varietal characteristics, usually some pepper in the bouquet and great fruit on the palate, but unlike the shiraz we’ve all been drinking for ten years or more, the tannins are beautifully restrained, like a wall behind a curtain. Push on them, have a ribeye with hollandaise and the wall is there to support you. But otherwise the tannins are content to stay in the background.
If anybody offers you ANY NZ syrah take them up on it.