BABICH WINEMAKERS' RESERVE SYRAH 2002
Overview:
Unique conditions over the summer 2001/autumn 2002 period in Hawke’s Bay has produced red wines of stunning quality. Higher than average rainfall over summer gave us healthy leaf canopies – this, coupled with a particularly warm and dry ripening period from mid January to harvest in April delivered dark, ripe and flavourful grapes.
Grapes:
100% Syrah
Region:
Hawke`s Bay
Winemaker:
Adam Hazeldine
Recommended Food:
A good partner with a classic filet mignon with mushrooms, or works just as well with roast duck.
Recommended Cellaring:
5-8 years
Production Notes:
The grapes were harvested at a ripe 23.4 brix, crushed and fermented on skins with frequent pump-overs during the height of ferment for extraction of colour and tannin. After a total of 22 days on skin the wine was then run off into a blend of new and old American and French oak. Early in 2003 the wines were assessed and blended. After a total 12 months in wood the wine was fined and bottled.
Tasting Notes:
The bouquet suggests cherry and plum with cracked pepper, vanilla and earthy, spicy notes. Sweet upfront berry fruit is followed up with rich savoury flavours – dried herbs and a hint of liquorice. The wine is warm with fine coating tannins and a pleasingly lingering finish.
Awards:
GOLD MEDAL
-New Zealand Royal Easter Show Wine Awards, 2005
SILVER MEDAL
-Air New Zealand Wine Awards, New Zealand, 2003
SILVER MEDAL
-Air New Zealand Wine Awards, New Zealand, 2004
SILVER MEDAL
-San Francisco International Wine Competition, USA, 2004
SILVER MEDAL
-Hawke's Bay Wine Awards, New Zealand, 2004
Reviews:
"Great inky colour reflective of the year, it's so dark it is almost black with crimson pink (magenta) hues on the rims, very appealing to the eye. Youthful, liquorice, pepper and sweet ripe juicy fruit on the nose, rich and full in the palate, good tannin structure, plenty of flavour concentration, spice, liquorice, concentrated red fruits, rich and delicious with a terrific spicy creamy backbone and a liquorice leathery character that comes through on the finish. Sweet and moreish."
-Sue Courtney, www.wineoftheweek.com, September, 2003
"One of New Zealand's few mid-priced Syrahs. Grown in Gimblett Road, Hawke's Bay, and matured for a year in American oak casks, the youthful 2002 vintage is sure to reward cellaring, with deep purple-flushed colour and a fragrant, peppery, toasty bouquet. It's a warm, elegant wine with strong, vibrant plum and black-pepper flavours, finely integrated oak and firm tannins."
-Michael Cooper, Buyer's Guide to New Zealand Wines 2004
"The beautiful colour in this wine was helped along by a cold soak in the winery, in order to fix it. Winemaker Adam Hazeldine insists he never intends oak to be the first thing you notice in any wine but a little American oak adds lift to this Syrah, enhancing its sweetness and firm tannins. Best of all, this is a textural Syrah, driven by succulence as well as good balance and fruit flavours that are ripe and sweet but never over the top. Drink with rare grilled fillet steak with sweet soft roasted vegetables."
-Joelle Thomson, Matchmakers, WineNZ Magazine, April, 2004
“A rich, concentrated wine with savoury oak behind the ripe fruit aromas, approachably integrated tannins and a long, sweet-edged finish. Good with casseroled duck.”
'Top Tip' & 'Best Buy'
-Tizwine.com Tasting Panel, April, 2004
"Very dark, almost black colour yet without excess tannin. A deep, quite strong red still unfolding, unrushed, just getting better quietly. Plenty of flavours and some oak opening well together."
-Peter Saunders, F&B Magazine, May, 2004
"Dusty inky fruit aromas; deep and rich. Good weight and density of flavour with some dry, chewy tannins. A big full flavoured wine that deserves to be cellared."
-WineNZ Magazine, Tasting Panel, June, 2004
“Tart but open textured, with pepper, cinnamon and clove notes around a fleshy core of blackberry and currant flavors. Has a lot of nice pieces, but it hasn’t melded together. Give it time. Best from 2006 through 2010."
88 POINTS
-Wine Spectator Magazine, New Zealand Report, November, 2004
"This is a big, full-flavoured wine that has started to open up over the past few months and promises even greater reward for those prepared to keep it for just a while longer. Sweet fruited, savoury and peppered as it should be. Good value for this variety."
-Warren Barton's Christmas Wine Guide, December, 2004
"Fruit from the Gimblett Gravels sub-region, pumped over rather than hand plunged. Fleshy, bountiful fruit with a nice cassis tone, a sweet-ripeness which is both appealing after three years and promising even more. A delightful wine with some class as well as depth."
(4 1/2 Stars)
-Winestate Magazine, Hawke's Bay Tasting, July, 2005
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