• French oak
• Raspberry
• Peppercorn
• Poised finish

"One of the country’s most distinguished reds. The highly impressive 2021 vintage (5*) was estate-grown in the Gimblett Gravels, hand-picked from vines 25 to 30 years old, and matured for 21 months in French oak barrels (54 per cent new). Deeply coloured, it is fragrant, with dense, beautifully ripe red berry, black pepper and spice flavours, complex, savoury, finely poised and seamless. Best drinking 2028+. This wine is a Super Classic" Michael Cooper, Dec 2023

"Truly wonderful nose of peppercorns, cloves, blackberries, lavender and blueberries. The palate is medium- to full-bodied with tannins that build from the moment the wine hits your mouth. It’s long and refined in texture. Poised at the end, suggesting a bright future in bottle. Drinkable now but will age beautifully" James Suckling, Mar 2024

"More vinous than fruity, it's a complex wine with wood smoke, new leather, dark chocolate, oyster shell, spicy oak and grape stem aromas. A ripe wine with serious cellaring potential. Expect greater complexity and a silkier texture with time" Bob Campbell, Master of Wine, Real Review, Nov 2023

"Complex and intriguing, purity of fruit and a varietal core of black currant and raspberry woven between scents of baking spices and crumbled earth, anise and violets, clove and baked plum. Youthful and impressive bouquet. Taut and dry, a core of ripe red berry fruits touch the palate then flavours of violets and baking spices, some fresh and aged meat qualities and a lick of smoked pepper. Tannins are in abundance with polish, acidity adds poise and tension. Dry, balanced and well made with a lengthy complex finish. A wine for the cellar with best drinking from 2029 through 2039. A stellar wine" Cameron Douglas, Master Sommelier, Jul 2024

"Very deep, saturated purple-red colour; aromas of mixed spices and dark fruits laced with lashings of quality oak which shows out somewhat. In the mouth, tremendous depth, power, and concentration. There's profound flavour and structure, abundant supple tannins and lots of deep-seated graphite/earthy/stony complexities. A little age will mellow out the oak more. An impressive wine, sure to have a big future" Huon Hooke, Real Review, Oct 2023

"Fragrant and layered nose of purple fruit, cracked pepper, a hint of floral and a hint of game. Some high-toned aromas with dusty oak. Quite elegant entry on the palate, sleek, very perfumed violet and blackberry with well-framed earthy tannins and dominating woodiness towards the back. Closed, dense and inward, the firm flavours turn very oaky on the finish. This is currently in quite an awkward state. Give it a few years before approaching so the oak has a chance to integrate a bit" Stephen Wong, Real Review, Dec 2023

The 2021 Homage is a beautifully aromatic wine. A floral, scented nose of blueberry & violet dominate with spice and licorice aromatic’s sitting in the background. The wine is intense and concentrated in the mouth with fine grained tannins providing a powerful, yet silky texture. Balanced acidity and supportive oak ensure the wine remains vibrant, focused, & supple on the palate distinguished by exceptional length of flavour & a lingering spicy finish. Drink now to 2040. Decant before serving.

2021 was an exceptional Hawkes Bay vintage. Moderate yields combined with warmer than average temperatures and dry conditions encouraged fruit to achieve optimum ripeness and maintain excellent condition through to harvest. Impeccable viticulture during the growing season ensured fruit quality of the highest order.

The hand-harvested Syrah grapes were de-stemmed and fermented in small open top fermenters. Each parcel was gently hand-plunged during fermentation to aid optimum colour and tannin extraction. They were also fermented with a high proportion of whole berries, with 30% whole cluster. These winemaking techniques were used to increase aromatic, structural, and textural complexity.

Maturation in small and large oak vessels was utilized to further enhance the distinct qualities of each parcel. 75% were matured in 228-litre French oak barriques for 18 to 21 months, of which 54% were new. The remaining 25% were matured in seasoned 5,400-litre French oak ovals. The final wine was blended in December 2022 and bottled in late February 2023 with no fining and minimal filtration.