Vidal, Legacy Syrah, Gimblett Gravels

Dark blackberry fruit. Hints of Parma violets and some Mediterranean herbiness. Very NW but not in any unrestrained way.

Drinking better than the last bottle, more spicy and peppery, complex nose, medium weight, chewy tannins

dark inky purple, pretty nose, hints of black pepper, blueberry, rich and thick when pouring, blackberry, still fruit driven on the palate, med bodied, rounded building tannins starting to soften nicely, nice finish although shorter than expected.

Decent syrah. Not French in style, quite sweet with heavy oak perfume, but there was a concentrated black core, a spine to it, and a long aftertaste. Decent but no real competitor to northern Rhone for what you look for in a syrah. There was a hint of funk. No cracked pepper worth mentioning.

Blind Tasting - French vs New Zealand (St Johns, Auckland) : Dark red/purple, almost impenetrable. Dark plums, rich flavours, liquorice and some violets, spices, sweet herbals. Very good concentration. Powdery but smooth tannins. Very good structure and strength. Long finish with dark berries notes. It’s an awesome big wine, somehow too strong to present fine and delicate flavours which a GG Syrah should have, I expect more precision rather than boldness. Alc 13.5%, 18 month in 35% new French barriques. …