Winemaker Notes
The 2015 Homage opens as a beautifully aromatic wine with interwoven berry purity and oak sophistication. A floral, scented nose initially dominates with brambly, blackberry and licorice aromatics sitting in the background.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A superb wine. Quite possibly the greatest expression of syrah that New Zealand has produced to date. The level of complexity and concentration, the layering of flavors and textures, the length of tannins – there is so much to admire in this wine. Fruits are in the raspberry, red plum and blackberry spectrum, doused in pepper and every imaginable woody spice. Hints of chocolate, too. A thrilling and vibrant syrah.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Raised in 60% new oak, the 2015 Homage Syrah has completely soaked that up, showing only plenty of dark, plummy fruit and ample spice on the nose. Hints of black olive and mocha show up on the medium to full-bodied palate, bolstered by silky tannins. This is not a huge, blockbuster year for Homage, instead showing a suppler, gentler side of the Gimblett Gravels.
Marked by an unmistakable deep purple hue and savory aromatics, Syrah makes an intense, powerful and often age-worthy red. Native to the Northern Rhône, Syrah achieves its maximum potential in the steep village of Hermitage and plays an important component in the Red Rhône Blends of the south, adding color and structure to Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah is the most widely planted grape of Australia and is important in California and Washington. Sommelier Secret—Such a synergy these three create together, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre trio often takes on the shorthand term, “GSM.”
An eclectic region on the east coast of the North Island, Hawkes Bay extends from wide, fertile, coastal plains, inland, to the coast range, whose peaks reach as high as 5,300 feet. While the flatter areas were historically more popular because they are easier to cultivate, their alluvial soils can be too fertile for vines. In the late 20th century, the drive for quality led growers to the hills where soils are free-draining, limestone-rich and more suited to producing high quality wines.
Over the passing of time, the old Ngaruroro River laid down deep, gravelly beds, which were subsequently exposed after a huge flood in the 1860’s. In the 1980s growers identified this stretch, which continues for approximately 800 ha, and named it the Gimblett Gravels. The zone has proven to be ideal for the production of excellent red wines, particularly Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah.
Today the area takes well-earned recognition for its Bordeaux blends and other reds. Expressive of intense stewed red and black berry with gentle herbaceous characters, Gimblett Gravels wines are suggestive of their cool climate origin, and on par with other top-notch Bordeaux blends around the globe.
Chardonnay is the top white grape in Hawkes Bay, making elegant wines, strong in stone fruit character. Sauvignon blanc comes in close behind, notable for its tropical, fruit forward qualities.