Syrah

In Marlborough Syrah is a marginal variety (because of the cool climate) yet it surprises us time and time again. Its flavour spectrum is attractive at many levels of ripeness. At the lower level it has that classic white pepper character as found in many northern Côte du Rhône wines. As it gets riper in hotter climates it becomes richer and bigger, showing more "sweet" fruit and losing some of its varietal identity.

Our Syrah has distinct varietal definition. At the Fromm Vineyard, it is the only grape that never gets overripe and often reaches physiological maturity at relatively low sugar levels. In this sense it is perfectly suited to our climate, providing its crop levels are low and viticultural standards high.

Until a few years ago there was only one unidentified clone of Syrah available in New Zealand. Recent plantings of newly imported French clones showed very promising results in both, the Fromm and Clayvin vineyards. All these factors together with slowly increasing vine age point to an exciting future for this variety. We also have planted a few rows of Viognier, which we co-ferment with our Syrah as traditionally done in Côte Rôtie.

We produce
Fromm . Syrah . Fromm Vineyard
La Strada . Syrah