on the brink

of stardom
There’s 50 times more Sauvignon Blanc planted in New Zealand than Syrah,
but this bit-part player is destined for a leading role, says tim atkin MW.
What’s more, its huge potential is down to the foresight of one man

B
ack in 2007, I was one of a But maybe we Syrah lovers shouldn’t Right: the Gimblett Gravels sub-region of
number of journalists who be too downhearted. After all, the variety Hawke’s Bay is proving a hotspot for Syrah
attended New Zealand’s first- nearly died out in the 1980s. According
ever Syrah Symposium, in to Dr Paul White, a journalist who has Limmer, who had already established a
Hawke’s Bay. It was a bold – some might studied the origins of Syrah (or Hermitage vineyard in Hawke’s Bay with other
say vainglorious – undertaking in a as it was known then) in depth, the grape varieties for his Stonecroft winery, was
country where the grape of the Rhône probably arrived in New Zealand as long doing a vintage at Te Kauwhata and was
and Barossa Valleys was still, as the author ago as the 1830s, either from France via told that the Syrah was about to be pulled
and Syrah authority Remington Norman out. He rescued 100 cuttings before the
‘There’s a huge difference
put it at the time, ‘at the research and bulldozers moved in, and planted a single
development stage’. But what an row of Syrah on the Gimblett Gravels.
impression the Kiwi wines made on us! He made a bucketful in 1987, a part
After sampling wines from the likes of between a full-bodied barrel in 1988 and a whole barrel in
Bilancia,Trinity Hill,Vidal, Passage Rock, 1989, his first official vintage. It is no
Te Mata and Craggy Range, we came
away buzzing about Syrah’s potential.
Aussie Shiraz and a exaggeration to say that the wine changed
the face of New Zealand Syrah for ever.

New Zealand Syrah’

This year I was back in Hawke’s Bay By chance, Limmer had stumbled
for the second Syrah Symposium, this across white pepper-scented liquid gold.
time as a speaker. Before I arrived, I had a The vines had been at the research station
look at some statistics. What, I wondered, Australia, or direct from the Rhône. The ‘for ever’, according to Limmer. ‘No one
had happened to plantings of Syrah in variety enjoyed considerable early success, knew where they came from or when
the interim? I assumed they would have but was all but abandoned during they’d got there. At the time, I thought
increased significantly, but by how much? Prohibition. Collards and Matua Valley they were different clones of Syrah and
photograph: thomas skovsende

In fact, they’d grown by a measly 18ha flirted with Hermitage in the late 1970s labelled them accordingly in my vineyard,
(hectares), to 278ha.To put this in context, and early 1980s, planting the variety on but it turns out that they were 10 different
there are 14,844ha of Sauvignon Blanc unsuitably vigorous soils near Auckland, heat-treatment trials of the same clone.’
and 4,753ha of Pinot Noir in New but pulled it out as a dead loss. And what a clone it proved to be:

Humble beginnings
Zealand. Syrah, for all its potential star small-berried, loose-clustered and
quality, is a bit-part player, far less extremely fine. An academic at Lincoln
important even than Merlot and Cabernet By 1984, Syrah had dwindled to a single University is currently doing DNA work
Sauvignon, two grapes which are not as ‘experimental’ block at the Te Kauwhata on cuttings from Limmer’s first row of
well suited to its range of climates. governmental research station. Alan Syrah, which may yet prove their origin ➢

38 | september 2010
 new zealand syrah

‘The boldest styles are much

closer to the northern Rhône
than they are to McLaren Vale’

decanter.com | 39
 definitively, but for now we are left with temperatures. ‘The theory is that Rhône
a number of possibilities. The first is that varieties need more heat, but that’s not
it is Serine, not Syrah; the other is that it necessarily true.We get better sugar levels
is a pre-phylloxera clone sourced from in our Syrah grapes than we do in our
France, possibly by James Busby, the Bordeaux varieties.’
father of Australian viticulture. Limmer
thinks it is ‘the same, genetically speaking,
as much of the old-vine Shiraz in ‘Syrah is only New
Australia, given the commonality of
imports. It was extremely fortunate that Zealand’s ninth most-
we ended up with this old material’.
John Hancock of Trinity Hill, whose
Homage is one of the best Syrahs in the
prominent grape – but
not for much longer’
country, agrees. ‘If Alan had propagated a
duff clone, New Zealand Syrah wouldn’t
be where it is today.’ A handful of other
Syrah clones are now planted in New Rod Easthope of Craggy Range is
Zealand (Chave, Grippat, 174, 383, 470, another winemaker who thinks that Syrah
877 and 524), but until recently it was the is well suited to the vagaries of the New
so-called Limmer clone that supplied Zealand seasons. ‘The window of what is
budwood to the entire industry. deemed acceptably ripe for Bordeaux reds

Rhône-style elegance
is extremely narrow – a little less than
ideally ripe is deemed to be green and
From that original row in Hawke’s Bay, mean – but for Syrah there is more
Syrah has spread all over the North and latitude. Mid-weight, red-fruited and
South Islands. Most of the plantings are white pepper-scented wines are just as
in Hawke’s Bay and on Waiheke Island legitimate as the full-bodied, black-fruited,
near Auckland, but the variety is also riper expressions.’

Complexity
grown successfully in Northland, Nelson,
Gisborne, Waipara, Martinborough,
Marlborough and Central Otago. It’s hard To someone who tastes Rhône style
to talk about regional characteristics, as wines from around the world on a regular
winemaking decisions, vine age and basis, the complexity of the best Kiwi
clonal differences have an impact too – examples is remarkable, especially given
not to mention the comparative paucity the youthfulness of many of the vineyards.
of examples – but Hawke’s Bay and Today’s 278ha may not sound like a lot,
Waiheke Syrahs generally have different but as recently as 1998, there were only
characters, with richer fruit in the former 6.3ha in the entire country. Only
and more floral notes in the latter. Stonecroft, Fromm, Te Mata, Kennedy
Mind you, there’s a world of difference Point and Dry River have sources of older
between a full-bodied, warm-climate vines, and these are necessarily limited.
Aussie Shiraz and one produced in New Why are New Zealand’s winemakers
Zealand, where the grape is always called so good at Syrah? One theory is that the
Syrah, possibly to differentiate it from the variety is closer to Pinot than, say,
wines across the Tasman Sea. Even the Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot, in the
boldest styles (Dry River or Craggy way it responds to gentle handling and
Range’s Le Sol) are much closer to the extraction of tannins. As Pinot producers
northern Rhône than they are to develop more experience with New
McLaren Vale, generally showing lower Zealand’s premium red, it has benefited
alcohol levels and cool-climate-related Syrah in turn. There’s some truth to this,
pepper spice. As John Hancock, an but it doesn’t explain why Hawke’s Bay
Australian by birth, puts it: ‘We don’t and Waiheke Island, two regions where
want those warm, juicy flavours that you Pinot Noir doesn’t do particularly well,
see coming out of warmer areas.’ have emerged as the best sources of Syrah.
There are very few places on earth Cabernet and Merlot producers seem to
photographs: kevin judd/cephas(3)

(Chile’s Elqui Valley, Washington State, have taken to Syrah, too.

coastal California and western Victoria New Zealand Syrah is not the finished
perhaps) that produce wines that could article by any means. Most of the vines
be mistaken for a Cornas, a Hermitage or are still young and the planted area is
a Côte-Rôtie, but New Zealand’s range dwarfed by other varieties. There’s also
of microclimates seems to do it on a much ongoing debate about the best
consistent basis. Syrah, according to clones, planting density, alcohol levels,
Stephen White of Stonyridge Vineyard how to combat occasional outbreaks of
on Waiheke Island, is well suited to cooler Brettanomyces and the advisability of ➢

40 | september 2010
 new zealand syrah

Above: the terroir in

Gimblett Gravels is
equally as suited to
Syrah as Bordeaux
varieties. Left: Dry
River, and other
big-style Syrahs such
as those made by Rod
Easthope at Craggy
Range (far left), are
more Rhône than
McLaren Vale in style.
Right: the saviour of
New Zealand Syrah,
Alan Limmer

deca n t e r .com | 41
new zealand syrah

Right: John Hancock of Trinity Hill, whose

Syrahs are among the country’s best

blending or co-fermenting Syrah with

other varieties, most notably Viognier.

Inspiration
For now, Syrah is only New Zealand’s
ninth most-prominent grape, but that
won’t be the case for much longer. The
superb wines made by Passage Rock,
Kennedy Point, Mudbrick, Obsidian,
Stony Ridge and Man O’War (all Waiheke
Island); Te Mata, Trinity Hill, Bridge Pa,
Craggy Range, Church Road, Esk Valley,
Villa Maria, Stonecroft, Vidal, Bilancia
and John Forrest (Hawke’s Bay); Dry
River, Schubert, Murdoch James,
Martinborough Vineyards and Kusada
(Martinborough); Fromm (Marlborough);
Millton (Gisborne);MuddyWater (Waipara);
and Aurora (Central Otago) should inspire you the truth, but they still make fantastic be a fitting tribute to the man who
more producers to plant Syrah. wine.’ So good in fact, that Limmer has saved New Zealand’s pre-phylloxera Syrah
And what about that original row of decided to make a special bottling of his for the world. D
vines? Alan Limmer may have sold 2009 Hawke’s Bay Syrah, sourced from
Stonecroft this summer, but he remains as a the cuttings he planted in 1984. I’m not Tim Atkin MW is a wine columnist for The
consultant and the vines are still there too: sure if he’s decided on a name for it yet, Times and the Louis Roederer International
‘They’re getting a bit knackered, to tell but how about just ‘Limmer’? It would Wine Columnist of the Year for 2009

kiwi classics: Tim Atkin’s 10 best new zealand syrahs

Craggy Range, Le Sol, Gimblett Gravels, standard bearers. Polished, peppery and refreshing acidity, red fruits and subtle
Hawke’s Bay 2007 HHHHH (19/20) smoky, this is a very stylish wine. oak. Now–2013. £18.95; NZH, Swg, The
Deep, dark, dense and brooding, this is a Now–2015. £20.50–23.99; GHW, NZH,
very rich, complex wine, showing notes OLB, WDi Vidal, Gimblett Gravels,
of plum, blackberry, aniseed, lavender Hawke’s Bay 2008 HHHH (17)
and vanilla spice. A stunner. Drink John Forrest Collection, Peppery, elegant, hand-plunged Syrah
2013–2020. £30–£34.69; Far, NZH Gimblett Gravels, Hawke’s Bay 2006 that is neither over-ripe nor over-the-top.
HHHHH (18) The oak is deftly handled here, as are the
Clos de Ste Anne, The Crucible, Already showing some attractive supple tannins. Now–2012. £10.99; Hax,
Gisborne 2007 HHHHH (18.5) bottle-developed characters, but this LLW, NZH, Tia, Wai
Put it down to biodynamic farming if peppery, meaty, savoury Syrah has the
you like, but James Millton’s Crucible potential to age further. Now–2015.
Syrah is a multi-faceted wine: spicy, paler £16.99; Adn
in colour and deliciously earthy and long.
Now–2015. £19.95; VRo
Villa Maria, Cellar Selection,
Kennedy Point, Waiheke Island 2008 Hawke’s Bay 2007 HHHH (17)
HHHHH (18.5) Bright, bramble, plum and red cherry
Another wine that includes a little Man O’War, Waiheke Island 2008 fruity Syrah, with includes 3% Viognier in
Viognier, this is youthful and intense, HHHHH (18) the blend. Aged in French and American
with impressive perfume, plenty of oak This is not as concentrated as the top oak, hence the slight smokiness.
and ageworthy tannins. 2015–2018. wine here, called Dreadnought, but it’s Now–2012. £12.99; NZH, Wmb, WRa
£24.99; MWH cheaper and just as appealing: aromatic,
white pepper notes, fresh acidity and Babich, Gimblett Gravels,
palate length. Now–2015. £14.43; Cav, Hawke’s Bay 2007 HHH (16)
Imb, WUf Spicy, meaty and slightly smoky, this gets
extended maceration to develop its
Trinity Hill, Gimblett Gravels, tannins. A little firm perhaps, but a good
Te Mata Estate, Bullnose, Hawke’s Bay 2007 HHHHH (18) introduction to Kiwi Syrah. Now–2012.
Hawke’s Bay 2007 HHHHH (18.5) The small percentage of co-fermented £8.95; G&M, Hai, Hou, J&B, Tes
Sourced from a 20-year-old vineyard, Viognier is appealingly apparent here.
Te Mata’s Syrah is one of Hawke’s Bay’s Aromatic and well-balanced, with For full details of UK stockists, see p114

42 | september 2010