Credits: Article and images by Ken Gargett @ Quill & Pad. See the original article here - https://quillandpad.com/2024/04/01/bilancia-la-collina-sensational-syrah-wine-from-gimblett-gravels-in-hawkes-bay-new-zealand/
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The La Collina wines, a couple of which were tasted twice –
2021 – More red fruits here, redcurrants, red apples and still a hint of oak evident, though it is not intrusive in any way. Aniseed emerges on the palate. Silky tannins and a lingering finish. Will drink very well for a long time. A superb example of the style from a great vintage. 97. We looked at the same bottle quite a few hours later. Elegance, vitality, such gossamer-silky tannins. Amazing length. Ten to twenty years. It had stepped up even further. 98.
2020 – Dry herbs with a hint of tobacco leaf and spices. A whiff of white pepper. Coffee beans and chocolate. There is really good complexity and balance. Good focus here, with a fine grip and satiny tannins. The pepper lingers. Enjoy over the next ten to fifteen years. 94. Again, we saw the wine twice on the same day, with a significant gap between tasting, and again from the same bottle. What a transformation. It had exploded with precision and life. Blueberries had emerged and the wine looked even better. Surely a fifteen to twenty year proposition. Wonderful stuff. 98.
2019 – This is intense, slightly burly and with serious concentration. Leather, cloves, truffles, warm earth and mushrooms. Decent length, good focus and fine tannins. A vintage that does not imbue the wines with extra eleganc,e but there is certainly power and flavor here. A long future. 95.
2018 – A superb Syrah, delicious now, but which will age magnificently for at least another ten to twenty years. Fresh and bright now, there are notes of blackcurrants, blueberries, spices and vanilla. Still very youthful and hugely promising. Has amazing length. 97.
2016 – This is where we see wines which start to fall more on the youthful side of things (or perhaps, it is from here we start seeing wines exhibiting hints of maturity). Ripe, with raspberries, a touch of vanilla, blueberries and coffee beans. The raspberries emerge more on the palate. Good balance, a creamy texture and a lingering finish with a gentle fade. Now and for the next four to six years. 94.
2015 – A more savory style with animal skins, game, red fruits, soy, coffee grinds, dried herbs, spices and even a flick of pepper. A medium length wine, which is solid and appealing, even if not absolutely top shelf. It is still the sort of wine that many wineries would be over the moon to be able to present as their prestige release. 94.
2014 – A mature, attractive and complex red, drinking well now and for the next six years. Dark fruits, mushrooms, coffee grinds and dried herbs. Nicely balanced and quite seamless with sleek tannins. Still offers freshness and a lingering finish. 95.
2013 – This is the only vintage where the team used 100% whole bunches. It is fresh and energetic with spices, tobacco leaves, soy, aniseed, red fruits and dry herbs. Still so fresh and with an amazingly lifted aroma. Drink for twenty years. Love it. 98. A second bottle was more coffee grinds and mushrooms, without the same level of freshness. Mid length. For me, this one was 93. Fingers crossed, your 2013 is on a par with the first. Now comes the surprise. It was actually the same bottle. In the morning, we’d seen the bottle freshly opened. The second tasting was many hours later. I was very surprised it did not hold together more impressively. The younger wines certainly did.
2010 – This has always been a brilliant vintage for Gimblett Gravels Syrah. Homage is stunning. So is this. Cigar boxes, animal hides, game, truffles, dark berries, smoked meats, leather and cloves. Impeccable balance and a seductive texture. A really serious and seriously good wine. Good ripeness and silky tannins. Still ten years ahead of it. 98.
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Credits: Article and images by Ken Gargett @ Quill & Pad. See the original article here - https://quillandpad.com/2024/04/01/bilancia-la-collina-sensational-syrah-wine-from-gimblett-gravels-in-hawkes-bay-new-zealand/