Bilancia La Collina Syrah, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand

天秤酒莊小山坡西拉紅葡萄酒

點擊次數(shù)：7082

There was no La Collina bottled in 2017, but the 2018 La Collina Syrah is a ridiculously floral, perfumed successor to the terrific 2016. While other Hawke's Bay Syrahs can marry soaring peppery spice with ripe fruit, the 2018 La Collina is more jasmine, violets—maybe even roses—and subtle spices, all seamlessly blended with ripe red berries. It's just medium-bodied (labeled at 12.5% alcohol), but it's concentrated and silky in texture, with a long, elegant finish and great inner-mouth perfume. It should drink well for at least a decade.

One of the most noteworthy features of the 2016 La Collina Syrah is the intricacy and complexity of its aromas, which include hints of violets, cracked pepper, resinous herbs, raspberries and even Pinot-like notes of roses and black tea. It's medium-bodied and silky in texture, showing tremendous elegance on the palate, then trailing away slowly on the finish.

The 2015 La Collina Syrah easily surpasses the 2014, which was a more heralded vintage in Hawke's Bay. Blueberries and spice make for compelling aromas, while the medium to full-bodied wine shows no rough edges on the palate. Glossy and rich, the tannins are more supple than in the 2014, the fruit more voluptuous, the finish longer. It's one of the top Syrahs yet to emerge from New Zealand.

The 2014 La Collina Syrah displays precise floral and spice aromas, backed by cherry fruit, and it's refreshingly medium-bodied, supported by silky tannins and a lengthy finish. It's still as concentrated and flavorful as ever, just not as powerful, ripe or obviously oaky as the early releases. On the other hand, it's complex and elegant and more approachable as a young wine.

Filling in a blank in the WA database, I tasted the 2013 La Collina Syrah. The product of a very small crop, the wine was made using 100% whole clusters and dedicated to Warren Gibson's father, who passed away that year. It's a big, muscular, meaty version of La Collina, loaded with plummy, cola-tinged extract and notes of black pepper and licorice. Full-bodied and rich, it finishes with hints of nutmeg, ginger and anise, developing more raspberry notes with air.