Craggy Range, Syrah, Gimblett Gravels, Hawke’s Bay 2020 (13.5%)

£21.99-£25.99 Harvey Nichols, New Zealand House of Wine, Specialist Cellars, Waitrose

The Gimblett Gravels endeavour is a model for terroir research outside traditional regions, and recent generous vintages have really begun to pay off for this disciplined private association of Hawke’s Bay wine-growers. This is glorious Syrah: deep, dense and black-red in colour, with classic varietal aromas that combine inner urgency with sweet seduction. On the palate, the wine offers a cascade of fruit, with tempered acidity and shy tannins. It’s the grain to that fruit that impresses so: primary (plum, currant and sloe) yet nuanced, too, perfumed to the last drop and with a sense of stone behind the fruit to lend it dignity and keep you coming back to the glass for more.

In their quest for virgin territory on which to create both a winery of renown and a family legacy, Terry and Mary Peabody had, without success, worked their way through France, the US and Australia.

They eventually found their pot of gold in New Zealand and so began Craggy Range, which is tied to 1,000-year family trust meaning it can never be sold.

Craggy Range first released this Syrah in 2001, since when the grape’s alliance with Gimblett Gravels has come to be regarded as one of wine’s most triumphant partnerships. ‘I want to highlight the minerality and complexity of the Gimblett Gravels terroir by promoting elegance and subtlety over late picking and extraction,’ explains chief winemaker Julian Grounds.

‘Syrah has multiple permeations in its purest form in how it presents in the glass, but we are drawn to the variety for its complexity and ability to hold a mirror to its terroir.

‘Gimblett Gravels is unique. Its depth and concentration of stones allow the development of ripe and concentrated flavours in what would otherwise be deemed a marginal growing region. Our style always encourages savouriness over overt fruitiness, and 2020 was no exception.’