Bullnose Syrah, Hawke’s Bay — 2021
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Introduction
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WINERY Established in 1896, Te Mata Estate remains family owned, producing internationally recognized wines exclusively from its Hawke’s Bay vineyards, located on New Zealand’s North Island. Te Mata Estate is home to New Zealand’s oldest vineyards and wine cellars with over 125 years of continuous wine production.
WINE First planted in 1990, the Bullnose Vineyard’s old red iron soils produce Te Mata Estate’s finest Syrah. These are New Zealand’s second oldest plantings of Syrah. This vineyard is blended with fruit from Te Mata’s Isosceles and Hotspur Vineyards which add structure and acidity to the finished wine. This wine has distinct floral and spice aromas, rich flavors of plum, raspberry and blackberry, with a velvety texture.
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Vineyard Profile
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Separate parcels of fully ripened Syrah grapes were hand harvested from Te Mata Estate’s Bullnose, Isosceles and Hotspur Vineyards on March 25th and 26th, 2021.
- Appellation: Hawke's Bay
- Location: New Zealand
- Viticulture: Sustainable
- Vine Age: Up to 30 years old
- Soil: Silty loam soils with gravel deposits
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Vintage Report
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A historically early vintage that was warm and dry produced low crops with tiny berries, creating exceptional wines with fragrance, tension, purity, power, and persistence… these are so appealing, the tricky part will be having the patience to enjoy them at their peak!
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Vinification
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The individual lots were each destemmed and given a traditional warm-plunged fermentation. The resulting wines underwent extended maceration on skins before pressing and then a secondary malolactic fermentation. The separate wines were then run to a mixture of new and seasoned French oak barriques for 16 months’ maturation. During this time, they were regularly topped and racked, before blending and then bottling in November 2022.
- Aging: 33% new oak
- Barrel Aging: 16 months in new and seasoned French oak barrels
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Technical Information
- Varietal Composition: 100% Syrah
- Alcohol: 13.5%
- TA: 5.5 g/L
- p H: 3.61
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Tasting Notes
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Magnificent deep magenta, Bullnose ’21 entices with floral fragrance of lavender, violets and a dusting of cardamon and cinnamon developing on the palate into black cherry syrup, boysenberry and Turkish delight. Grace notes of char, truffle and pink peppercorns appear in layer upon layer of velvet tannins that run from front to back in the wine – extending the mid-palate presence into a long, sustained finish of saturated and spiced red berries. Bullnose ’21 is endlessly enchanting from every angle.
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Images
Reviews
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Bullnose Syrah, Hawke’s Bay — 2021 – Wine Spectator – 91 Points
"Shows dense notes of salted black licorice and black cherry, with touches of date nut bread, cinnamon and fresh tobacco. Details of rosemary and sage create a wonderfully complex, detailed red, with a long, expressive finish."
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Bullnose Syrah, Hawke’s Bay — 2021 – Jancis Robinson – 17 Points
“Perfumed, savoury and dark-fruited. Very lively and pristine fruit. The tannins are ripe and elegant. The finish is long, spicy and a bit meaty. A delicious, savoury wine ready to drink now.”
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Bullnose Syrah, Hawke’s Bay — 2021 – Wine Advocate – 94+ Points
"The 2021 Bullnose Syrah gives us Asian five spice, musk, red dirt, gravel and blueberry on the nose. There's a distinctly darker fruit character on the palate, with red licorice, pomegranate, savory and gentle meat nuances. This is fleshy but with energy and finesse. Matured for 16 months in French oak (33% new), it's almost creamy, with hints of cream soda and sarsaparilla, and there's a spice/blood root character. This wine achieves that aspirational balance between sweet fruit and savory tannin."