Saorsa - Syrah 2021

Saorsa - Syrah 2021

NZD$40.00
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Description

Aromatic notes of rose petals and dried herbs layered upon liquorish, smoke and earth. Fresh and lively with a seductive silky finish. Our wines are produced with oxygen exposure and develop greatly once opened. Decanting the wines will allow them to truly express themselves.

VINEYARD- A blend of two idyllic hillside sites in Hawke’s Bay. One from the Subregion of Paki Paki a gentle North facing slopes with shallow limestone soils. A slightly more inland area of Hawke’s Bay with long hot days and an abundance of sunlight. The second from the steep sandstone over limestone slopes of Roy’s Hill situated high above the Gimbeltt Gravels stoney soils. This presence of light and heat combined with the natural slope of the sites and cooling winds allows our Syrah to boast both masculine and delicate floral tones.

GROWING SEASON- 2021 was a stunner! After two exceptional harvests in the years prior, we could not of foreseen one of this absolute quality. Again Hawke’s Bay saw a warm and dry winter season continuing the drought conditions from the end of 2020 this led to an extremely early bud burst in the vineyards. The growing season was also warm and dry leading to one of the earliest starts to harvest we have ever seen. The summer and Autumn period were long and dry, allowing us to pick when we wanted with no pressure from rain. 2021 saw perfect conditions across all varieties from early too late, with acidity being the best seen in years and an absolute highlight from the year being Syrah.

 VINIFICATION- Hand harvested between 28th March and 9th April and transported to the winery where the fruit was transferred to fermenter and gently foot crushed to allow for 100% whole cluster fermentation. A short cold soak period led to fermentation with indigenous yeast. Cap management was gentle délestage in the presence of oxygen. Fermentation and maceration lasted between 18 and 33 days before being pressed. A short settling period before running the wine to neutral oak where malo-lactic fermentation started in the following spring. Aged in oak for 15 months with a single bâtonnage post Malo-lactic fermentation. Blended and naturally gravity settled in tank prior to bottling with no fining or filtration and only a small addition of sulphur. Bottled 13th December 2022.

Alcohol- 14.0% 

--------THE PRODUCER--------

Saorsa

Saorsa is small, micro-small. We are family-owned and operated, with each Montaperto-Hendry chipping in to make it a success. Alex has worked in the vines and cellars since leaving school and moving to Hawke’s Bay where he met his wife Hana who is a trained stainless steel engineer.

--------THE GRAPE--------

Syrah/Shiraz

Syrah and Shiraz are two different names for the same red wine grape (and wines made from that grape). “Syrah” is what it's called in France’s Rhône Valley, where it is the main red wine grape of the Northern Rhône and a blending grape in the Southern Rhône. “Shiraz” is what winemakers in Australia typically call it.

Over time, the use of Shiraz or Syrah has taken on more meaning, and producers might choose one name or the other to indicate the style of their wine. A winemaker might bottle a “Shiraz” to indicate they made a rich, lush, riper, more fruit-forward wine in the Australian spirit. Or they might instead call their wine “Syrah” to indicate a more Old World– or leaner style of wine. Unfortunately, these terms can be used inconsistently.

As far as the link to Persia, Shiraz is the name of the capital in the Fars province, and there’s evidence that the earliest wines were made in that part of the world. For a long time it was believed that cuttings from Persia made their way to France’s Rhône region, and Syrah might have hailed from Persia, but DNA testing proved that Syrah/Shiraz is indigenous to France.

 

--------THE REGION--------

Hawkes Bay

Sunny Hawkes Bay is along the eastern coast of New Zealand's north island. It is here where some of the most fruit-forward wines come from. They are known for their tropical Chardonnays and their juicy reds from the excellent Bordeaux wines to the peppery Syrahs.