Bilancia Syrah 2020

Cellar for up to 10 years. Decant for an hour or more before serving.

Bilancia is a New Zealand winery based in Hawke’s Bay, a sweeping vista that faces the vast Pacific Ocean. It was founded in 1997 by a wine-making husband and wife duo, Warren Gibson and Lorraine Leheny, who purchased a 6-hectare plot named “La Collina” on Roys Hill. The winery remains a small, quality-focused operation, with Lorraine and Warren sourcing grapes from their own vineyards and from growers in Gimblett Road Vineyards, Glencoe Station and Blackbridge Estate.

This wine is a Syrah-dominated blend, with a 2% splash of Viognier. About a fifth of the grapes came from Warren and Lorraine's own “La Collina” vineyard, while the rest were sourced from Gimblett Gravels - just a stone’s throw from Roys Hill.

The Bilancia Syrah is a lavish wine, laden with scents of blackberry, blackcurrant, black pepper and plum. The palate is dry and mouth-coating, with a rich interior of black fruits, raspberry and blueberry. You can also discover notes of dried herbs, oak and definite hints of uplifting flora. It is delectable and easily approachable as it is, but will no doubt benefit from some further ageing in the cellar. Consider pairing this Syrah blend with a beef casserole, grilled vegetables, or a grilled tuna steak.