Syrah 2014

96 points, “Quite an ethereal Syrah with typical Kusuda purity and refinement.” – Bob Campbell, Master of Wine

Wine has been Hiroyuki Kusuda’s greatest passion since he was a teenager. Born in Tokyo, he toured through Europe visiting famous châteaux and wineries when he was studying law in Japan. In 1996, Hiro went to Germany to learn the language and then started studying Oenology and Viticulture at Geisenheim University in 1997. An experiment for his thesis was carried out in New Zealand, for which the host winery was Schubert Wines. After graduating from Geisenheim, Hiro and his young family headed straight to New Zealand and applied for residency. Residency was granted very quickly and the lease for a vineyard soon followed. The rest is history.

Kusuda sort every berry by hand. It takes a day to pick the grapes, then another three to remove any with imperfections. As a result his Martinborough wines are lean and clean with refreshing, food-friendly acidity. Full of grace, the Syrah 2014 is a silken flow of raspberry, cherry, blackberry, plum, rose petal, violet, dried herbs, black pepper, liquorice and the finest French oak spices. More than a rival to the Rhône Valley’s finest, this would be a classic choice for roast lamb.