Dry River Syrah

2019 Dry River Lovat Syrah

This wine has seduction and indulgence written all over it. The wine is eager to please and wants to show its magic, and I agree. It was lightly affected by the October frost; thus, yields were down. Combined with the warm summer and long autumn, ripening Syrah was effortless.

Roasted coffee beans, mocha and cacao nibs show the deeper, ripe and more mature sides. The boysenberries, brambles and violets bring prettiness back into the wine. The 18 months in barrel helped to show further complexity in the wine through black olive tapenade, bacon fat and a touch of cedar. The oak is noticeable as a furry cloak. 

The entrance of the palate is seamless, and the wine can be embraced with arms wide open, so to speak. Despite the effortless entry it is still a youthful wine with ample ‘lively’ tannins that subside into the fruit and vibrant acidity. Iodine, smoke and again the bacon fat character, together with the fruit of the forest, make up for the indulgence and stamina.

This is a complete wine already with an exciting future for another ten years.

2017 Dry River Lovat Syrah

The heat summation and distribution for 2017 was similar to 2013, quite spectacular.  However, the impact of the 2017 rain event in early April did not go unnoticed for wine lovers, mainly Pinot Noir aficionados.  Lucky for our Syrah is that it is most often picked in early May, enough time to get back on track for ripening and avoid dilution.  We, therefore, had plenty of confidence in a successful Syrah harvest with ample concentration and ripe tannins.

The wine shows primary dark fruits of the forest like boysenberry and black currants interlaced with violets and hints of black pepper.  We decided to age the wine on oak for a little longer this time, 24 instead of 18 months.  This brought out a certain maturity and subdued vibrancy in the form of dulce de leche, vanilla, nutmeg and allspice on the nose.

Another benefit of prolonged barrel ageing is that the tannins are allowed to soften a bit more, which helps the front palate and thus approachability of the wine.  As a young wine, the fruit is expressive, almost brash, but respectful to the other components of the wine.  Like the acidity, present and linear, not overpowering, the texture is all-encompassing and well proportioned. The wine is neither fined (clarified) nor filtered and might show a light deposit, especially after a few years of ageing.

We see a good life ahead for this wine, with an optimal drinkability after approximately six to eight years.

2016 Dry River Lovat Syrah

To refresh the memory, 2016 was an outstanding vintage, no less for Syrah. After a moderately warm and very dry summer, the long autumn helped with the late slow ripening of our Syrah perfectly. Little rain at the end of the season made picking easy and ensured impeccably healthy grapes came into the winery. 

Combined with a gentle acidity, the wine still shows firm and compact, hiding the more elegant and delicate fruit characters and leaving it up to time to emerge and unfold.  Amiable yet shy, the 2016 Syrah will require another five more years to reveal its full potential.

A deep purple colour with a tamarillo hew indicates the wine is still in infancy stage. The influence of fine, mostly older oak preservesthe primary and floral characters like cherries, fresh blackcurrants, violets and Christmas spices. It cries ripe characters of black liquorice, dark boysenberries and crème de cassis.  The wine has more to reveal behind the veil of primary fruit characters, toasted almond paste and black olives.

The low cropping levels combined with the elevated ripeness of the Syrah clearly contribute to the heavy fruit weight, mainly on the mid-palate.  Approachable and fine grained, more powdery tannins are focussed on the centre-mid area of the palate, stretching lengthways to the back like a long rod.

2015 Dry River Lovat Syrah

For Dry River the 2015 vintage was very challenging.  Extremely high winds in springtime caused substantial damage to the growing shoots, to the point where the vines shut down for approximately two weeks.  The summer was dry for an extended period, with the high winds returning in February.  These were warm and caused damage again, mainly in our Syrah.  Since our vineyards are dry-farmed, with no irrigation to mitigate these events and help promote growth, we decided to reduce our potential yield by 70 percent!

The result however is a deep, darkly coloured wine from very ripe fruit.  It can almost be likened to a cool climate Australian Shiraz.  One might even be fooled to detect a hint of Eucalypt.  There is a distinct mix of fruitful and savoury components in this wine. 

We see extraordinary evolution of Syrah in the cellar over many years.  Do not hesitate to store this for seven to ten years before opening.

The nose is opulent and warm, where it shows cassis, plums and dark cherries, with mocha, cacao powder and coffee beans.

The ripe, dense fruit and the structure of the palate draws the attention immediately.  Plush sweet fruit and liquorice allow for a very open and hospitable entrance and provides a broad mouthfeel. The fluffy and powdery tannins, together with the acidity keep the wine compact and salivating, creating a tighter, funnel shaped finish to the wine. 

2011 Dry River Lovat Syrah

Deep purple in appearance with a crimson hue, this density suggests a powerful wine. The 2011 growing season was warmer than average, and has produced wines of opulence and generosity. In spite of this richness the wine still manages to charm with a bouquet of violets and roses.

Perhaps the Syrah, of all the wines made at Dry River, shows the greatest capacity for ageing in the cellar and our estimate for this wine would be seven to ten years.

Spicy characters suggestive of pepper and sage also add nuances to the aromatic profile. Whilst this wine is starting out relatively primary in aroma, we do expect the savoury characters to come through in time. The palate is reminiscent of Black Doris plums and fruit cake spice. Texturally, bright acidity reinforces the vibrancy of this wine whilst a mid-palate chalkiness, most likely from tannin, slows the passage across the palate.

2010 Dry River Lovat Syrah

Thanks to low cropping levels the palate is dense and weighty, yet soft and buoy- ant.

This is an intricate wine with upfront primary fruit aromas that will develop savoury complexity and gain richness over the next five to seven years.

Dark ruby with a violet hue. Fresh walnut, marmite and toasty oak overlay an array of red and dark berry notes. Black currant and an ever so slight hint of white pepper dart around on the nose with notes of tar and fresh leather contributing to extra aromatic complexity. Upfront flavours of dark fruit are followed by fresh tobacco and Christmas cake spice. The structure grows in strength with well-knitted tannins and considerable length.

2009 Dry River Lovat Syrah

The clone of a planted variety is generally considered to have greater effect on the quality of white wines than reds but Syrah is an exception. Our plantings are of what is thought to be the ancient Serrine clone and when one looks at the fruit near harvest, differences can be seen when compared to modern clones. This was originally introduced into NZ in the late 1800’s and the last few existing vines were rescued from oblivion by Dr Alan Limmer (then of Stonecroft wines) out of the old Te Kauwhata research station. 

Overall a youthful wine that shows considerable promise. Evaluate from 4+ years, it should continue to improve for more than 10 if cellared well.

This wine displays a colour of deep carmine with a slightly purplish edge creating immediate expectations of richness. The nose is warm and inviting, slightly floral with the smell of black plum and white pepper, but presently tending more toward complex characters including sweet leather and dark chocolate. The palate is fresh, yet rich and rounded, with full soft tannins enveloping floral and black plum fruits along with flavours of black tea, leather and a long clean aftertaste.

2008 Dry River Lovat Syrah

The colour of this wine is still deep and dark at the heart but showing a blood red weave through it, finishing with a light purple hue. The aromas are evolving too, showcasing the complexities of the wine. Softer and warmer fruit tones are now more the supporting act with complexities such as forest floor and wet earth taking the limelight. For us, the appeal of this wine, or aged wines in general, is the change in texture. In this Syrah, the moth feel has morphed from fruitfulness wrapped in firm acidity and tannins to a gentler and broader impact. Kindness and openness have replaced introverted and shy characters, yet with a warm and weighty presence. The tannins are now more rounded, more fluent and seamlessly integrated into the wine. Whilst we think this wine is showing exceptional development characters and is delicious drinking now, there is also considerable life left for those who are keen to cellar it for longer.

The colour of this wine is still deep and dark at the heart but showing a blood red weave through it, finishing with a light purple hue. The aromas are evolving too, showcasing the complexities of the wine. Softer and warmer fruit tones are now more the supporting act with complexities such as forest floor and wet earth taking the limelight.

2007 Dry River Lovat Syrah

As expected, the colour is dense crimson with purple highlights, and the nose exotic: initially musky florals, moving into opulent blueberry/blackberry aromas with white and black pepper plus the scent of black tea (the ripe tannins) and freshly cut cigars (children under 18 are not permitted to inhale this wine). On tasting it has a firm entry with tight tannins in the front to mid-palate opening into rich flavours of blue- and blackberries, black tea (plus cigar) and a softer almost caressing exit. The personality of the vintage shows clearly in the attractive balance of the fruit versus savoury characters and a refined, ethereal texture.

2004 Dry River Lovat Syrah

The wine is moderately dense ruby in colour, with lifted florals, soft white pepper and spices, allspice and sweet tobacco, along with lush black plums, red berries and even hints of fresh herbs on the nose. The structure of the wine is broad, close to velvet in texture with a fresh finish. It is quite mouth filling and elegant, initially hinting at white pepper, with red berries and a touch of sweet tobacco and an overarching minerality. As with all our reds there is no hurry to drink this if cellared correctly, the first two or three years usually showing considerable development.

2003 Dry River Lovat Syrah

This has a very dense colour; I am tempted to call it black rather than red wine. Nevertheless, the edge is a bright red, and the aromas and flavours are fresh and fruit-driven – distinctly primary at this early stage of development. The nose shows some Hessian and mealy characters, with sweet blackberries, tamarillo, soft white pepper, cardamom and the black tea smell of the fruit tannins. The palate is quite structured and tannic but it does not sacrifice elegance. The flavours are of Black Doris plums and plum kernels, black currants and raspberry coulis with an attractive crystalline/mineral finish. I expect this Syrah to be a very long term wine that will show significant development over ten years in a good cellar. Review in another 3-4 years.

2002 Dry River Lovat Syrah

One of the secrets of making fine, cool-climate Syrah lies in the elimination of herbaceous and vegetal characters from the wine. This is achieved by careful management practices and controlling the vigorous canopies in the vineyard. The year leading up to vintage 2002 was not what I might have chosen for this variety, but the long dry autumn which followed the vigorous summer growth provided the key. This wine has a very dense colour exhibiting a pure ruby edge. Its powerful nose speaks of flowers, red berries, talc, fruit cake mix, touches of dry tobacco and soft hints of white pepper. The palate is intense with dense but fine fruit tannins and considerable dry extract. It displays the flavours of red berries and cassis, some sweet tobacco and spice with an elegant floral lift and a long aftertaste. Syrah from the Rhone has the reputation for longevity and this does appear to be wine for the long term – just how long we cannot be sure since our Syrahs only go back to 1996 – but development is expected to continue well beyond that span of 6 years (with our usual caveats regarding good storage). 

2001 Dry River Arapoff Syrah

Very dense colour with a pure ruby edge. It has an ebullient nose which is varietally precise: black pepper, full red and black berry fruit, roses, subtle milk chocolate and the soft inky smell of ripe fruit tannins. It has a taut structure – built to last, with flavours of red and black sauvage berries and a touch of caramel/milk chocolate. It presently appears elegant and tight rather than weighty, but because of its concentration I expect it to blossom and round out when the tannins soften. It appears to be a long term proposition – evaluate in 3-4 years.

2000 Dry River Arapoff Syrah

Excellent weather late April/May allowed us to leave the Syrah fruit on the vine till the phenolics were fully ripe. The cool vintage and ripe phenolics have given the wine an harmonius structure and elegant varietal fruit somewhat in the style of Côte Rotie. The wine has an intense, pure hue and a nose of delicate but pervasive sweet flowers, raspberries, gentle fruit cake aromas – even savoury notes – with a hint of pepper. It has a softly rounded palate – flowers, raspberry, juicy Black Doris and a hint of white pepper – delicate but rich with seamless tannins and a savoury and pretty red-berry after-taste.

1999 Dry River Arapoff Syrah

The season provided full vineyard canopies from midseason on, and a dryish autumn with a total heat slightly warmer than average – midway between the 97 & 98 vintages. Interestingly, total heats for Martinborough might seem technically a little too cool for making ripe Syrah styles, but low cropping and very careful vineyard management offsets this and seems capable of creating wines with clear varietal characters, strong vibrant colours and good concentration. This wine has a sweet accessible nose smelling of red/ black berries and fruit, flowers and a touch of dried rosemary. The palate is rounded, almost plush with well-integrated oak, a firm underlay of fruit tannins and a spicy finish, all integrated with flavours of raspberry, boysenberry, Black Doris plums and hints of Cassis.