Wine Review of 2015 Fromm Winery ‘Fromm Vineyard’ Syrah wine, Marlborough, New Zealand
Score: 92/100
Syrah was first planted by Fromm winery back in 1992. Their Fromm Vineyard Syrah is grown solely at what they refer to as the ‘Home Vineyard’ in the Wairau Valley with a large proportion of the wine made up from fruit yielded by the oldest 26-year-old vines.
2015-Vintage Syrah Wine Facts
Grape variety/Blend: 97% Syrah, 3% Viognier
Bottled in: March 2017
Winemaker: Hätsch Kalberer
Alcohol: 13.5% abv.
Total acidity: 5.0 g/l
pH 3.87
Residual sugar: <0.1 g/l
Tasting Notes
This Kiwi Syrah comes in a pretty dark red color, nearly black to the core, and an intense dark red with purple hues to the rim. Still looking youthful, like the young wine it is…
The nose, straight away, appears vibrantly fruity and spicy, but also deep and imposing.
Rich aromas of blackberries, cooked raspberry, and cooked apples dominate the aromatic profile.
It reminds of a mixed berries and apple crumble to the smell. One that would have been spiced up with white pepper, clove, nutmeg and other sweet spices at that. It’s pungently aromatic, the Kiwi wine signature I suppose!
The unpalpable depth to the nose comes from dark chocolate scents, and somewhat of a buttery element. Add a rich fruity element, like cherry kirsch liqueur, resembling the volatile fruity notes provided by carbonic maceration, to get the complete picture of this Syrah’s complex nose. Tempting, and intriguing!
From there, the palate surprises a little, but in a good way…
While the nose suggested a rich an opulent Syrah, from its rich ripe red fruit characters, the wine, in fact, feels savory and dry, clearly more on the Northern Rhone Syrah style rather than the Australian Shiraz’.
The mineral acidity is an outstanding feature here, but it comes well rounded by an oily-enough body, and more importantly smooth coating tannins. A savory, almost sour wine from so much vibrant acidity, somewhat like biting in a fresh cranberry. Yet, the ripeness of the fruit flavors and the general smoothness make for an opulent sweet/sour experience.
Plenty of peppery spices, and red berry flavors dominate a complex tasting experience, towards a mixed sweet spice-dominant finish, quite long and layered.
Overall
A beautiful elegant, two-sided Syrah Fromm has delivered here. Acidic, full of tension, of earthy spiciness to one side, it also includes the cooked fruit and red berries opulence we enjoy in Syrah. Vibrancy of the acidity, combined with the smooth roundness of the grape’s tannins. All in one wine.
Give this baby a 3-to-5 year to complexify, smoothen up and deepen further, and you will surely be with an outstanding layered Syrah, with a very solid ageing potential. Given its acidity and the built-in tannic structure, this is a wine to easily withstand 10+ years of ageing.
Enjoy ?
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