View East Syrah 2010

Grapes at Harvest: 26.9º Brix, pH 3.58, TA 6 Wine Style: Our 2010 syrah has a rich aromatic character of plums, cassis and hints of cigar box. The generous palate of dark fruits is enhanced by spicy pepper and toasty oak. Enjoyable upon release, this wine will reward careful cellaring fo at least a futher five years. Vineyard: The View East vineyard is located at the Eastern end of Waiheke Island. Low yielding vines are planted on a steep, sun-drenched hillside slope which provides free-draining conditions. This environment ensures the fruit ripens successfully, while the maritime winds help to cool the berries at night, and preserve the more subtle aromas. The vineyard is managed by hand, using long-established techniques of leaf plucking, shoot thinning and fruit thinning. Winemaking: The fruit was hand-harvested, de-stemmed, and lightly crushed into open top fermenters. After cold soaking for several days, the fruit was fermented with hand-plunging of the cap to allow for the gentle extraction of colour and supple tannin. Following fermentation the skins were lightly pressed, and the wine was run into French, East European and American oak barriques for maturation of approximately twelve months.