Esk Valley Artisanal Syrah

Built in 1933 by Englishman Robert Bird who produced fortified wine from the 1930s through to the 1970s (under the name Glenvale) until the Esk Valley name was created for a premium range of table wines.

These days the Esk Valley name is owned by the Indevin group, New Zealand’s largest wine grower and producer. And when you operate on the size on the scale these guys do you have access to incredible vineyards, growers, quality fruit and top winemakers.

The Esk Valley Artisanal range is a fine wine range that’s been given a bit of what they used to like to calling “the Gordon Russell treatment”. Gordon was Esk Valley chief winemaker for 30 years and an absolute legend on the scene. The Artisanal range allowed one of NZ’s true greats in winemaking to roll up his sleeves and craft seriously good value wines true to variety and style. In this case we’re talking a Syrah that’s been cluster fermented with wild vineyard yeast in open top concrete fermenters and aged for 17 months in French oak.

Esk Valley Artisanal Syrah is a full bodied style Hawke’s Bay Syrah with lots of red fruit, ripe plum, spice pepper flavours. A great style to pair with grilled meats like duck, lamb or venison.