Bilancia Syrah 2021

Review

James Suckling (JamesSuckling.com): 95/100. Aromas of brambleberry, white pepper, dried rose petal, and thyme. Medium to full body. Medium to firm tannins. Fine texture. Love the tension and refined texture. Very silky. Drink or hold.

Stephen Wong MW (The Real Review): 93/100. Under the radar syrah. Warren Gibson and Lorraine Leheny of Bilancia are likely best known for their absolutely phenomenal La Collina Syrah, which has been highlighted often and is on almost every list of great New Zealand syrah. That wine is indisputably great, garnering a score of 97 from both Bob Campbell MW and myself separately. However, it would be remiss to overlook their well-priced estate syrah which punches well above its weight in 2021. Deeply structured with fantastic fruit material. If you buy a case of this for your cellar, you won’t regret it. 

 Dark with purple tints. Licorice and Irish Moss. A very intense nose, almost medicinal in its concentration. The palate is also intense but additionally, quite late tannins and palate-staining fruit. Very young and undeveloped, it is all tannin and primary blackberry fruit presently. Lots to chew on, medium-bodied and long; mid-weight flavours ending with noticeable graininess and a drying texture. This is going to need a few years before it’s approachable. Ageing: best from 2027 to 2034.

Decanter, Anne Krebiehl MW (at Hawke's Bay, 14 Feb 2024) Part of Bilancia: The cult winery in search of perfect balance: 92/100. Floral overtones of white blossom, white pepper and dark petals almost come with a touch of smoked meat. The palate is dense, edged with liquorice and absolutely mouth-watering with fine acidity. The tannins coat the mouth, and there is some alcoholic strength. This is made from fruit grown on the plain, on clay over gravels, with around 5% fruit from the La Collina Hill. The ferment contained 10% whole clusters and the wine was aged in used 225-litre barrels. Drinking Window: 2024 - 2034.

Tasting note

Sweet, ripe berry fruits and plums, fresh and juicy fruit coupled with Hawke’s Bay spice, balanced acidity and ripe, gentle tannins. A great wine for opening on release, this amazing 2020 Syrah is a vibrant, youthful wine and can be enjoyed immediately but it will also continue to develop over the next four to six years.

Aromas and flavours

Additional information

Type: red wine from New Zealand

Varietal: Syrah

Food match: Enjoy with BBQ pork ribs or stews.

Winemaking: From both vineyards perfect Syrah fruit was harvested separately and crushed to open top vessels for fermentation. The wines were pressed at dryness and run to either older French oak barriques or stainless steel tanks. The final wine is a blend of approximately 10% from la collina vineyard and 90% from Trelinnoe vineyard.

Cellaring potential: 2030+

Alcohol: 14% vol

Residual sugar: < 1g/l

Bottle size: 0.75l

Notice: contains sulphites

Closure: Screwcap

Produced and bottled by: Bilancia Limited PO Box 2508 Hastings 4156 Hawke's Bay, New Zealand

Distributor: vinabonus GmbH, Simmedenweg 40, 34134 Kassel, Germany.