Passage Rock Passage Rock Syrah Waiheke Island Reserve, New Zealand, North Island, Auckland, Waiheke Island

Nicely developed Syrah. Bought it at a visit on waiheke before sailing in Tonga for a week in 2015. So it is searolled as well. Integrated fruit, peppar, liquorice and vanilla. Everything very well balanced. Not so powerful but a lovely wine. Consumed here in Sweden on our national day!

Very smooth Waiheke Syrah. I can taste black pepper, cherries and chocolate. Purchased after tasting at vineyard and has kept very well in my cellar.

Two visits to Waiheke Island (Easter 2019 and New Year's 2020) (Auckland, NZ) : Bottle tasting, small pour. A bouquet of blackberries, dark plums and other black fruit, minerals and black liquorice with a quite powerful – oak derived – milk chocolate overlay (100% new oak, apparently). The oak better integrated on palate. Quite a classy Syrah actually. Blackberries and cherries, liquorice, cloves and graphite. Silky with refined tannins and good volume and structure. Preferred over the 2014. Give it …

A Syrah from one of the best years in NZ winemaking. Rightly displayed on the nose with dense aromas of black pepper, blueberry jam, leather, dark chocolate mousse, sage and fruit cake. Full-bodied, straight on awesomeness in the mouth, like bursting a flavor balloon and falling into its abyss. Perfectly harmonious and all around gorgeous. I haven't tried a better New World Syrah in a long time. Props to Passage Rock.

Game of Rhones (Carriageworks, Redfern) : muted pepper and black fruit, bacon….cream, vanilla and extremely muted fruit on the palate though. Meh.

New Zealand London Annual Trade Tasting (Lindley Hall, Royal Horticultural Halls) : Strange nose on this one with low intensity, a light red cherry note and a tight oak frame, with time more fruit emerges. In the palate, the wine offers more ripe red and black cherry, a bit of alcohol heat, the oak feels more in balance, med+ body and nice tannins, biscuit, dense, med to long finish. Very good quality, hold on to this one. 89+ for now

Six nations tasting (pyrmont wharf, sydney) : savoury concentrated black fruit over spice, slight cream…juicy, slight sour fruit, creamy mouth coating tannins. Meh.