2005 Gunn Estate “Silistria” Syrah
This isn’t an impenetrable, inky purple colour like many young wines from the Gimblett Gravels tend to manifest, but a dark, dense red with a narrow ruby rim. You really need to give this half an hour in the glass before the aromatics develop and blossom; cinnamon, white pepper, blackberry and five spice. Briary, bramble-patch fruit dances on the palate, ably supported by a subtle backbone of acid that attractively counters the inherent sweetness of the fruit. Polished mouthfeel, linear structure, ripe, silky tannins and a persistent finish of red, berry spectrum fruit. Delicious and an excellent example of Kiwi syrah.