Blank Canvas Element Syrah Gimblett Gravels 2018

Winemaker Matt Thomson was one of the biggest names in Marlborough winemaking, thanks not just to his well-documented successes with Saint Clair, but also his 20+ years of extensive winemaking consulting for special Italian and other European producers. It's the vast bank of old and new world winemaking experience that's grown Matt into the exceptional winemaker he is today. Like Kevin Judd and James Healy before him, he's elected to go out on his own and make a mark like Greywacke or Dog Point with his new Blank Canvas label.

In the true expression of cool-climate Syrah, this wine exudes freshly cracked black pepper, crushed violets, red and black forest fruits and savoury smoky nuances. It has crunchy lifted acidity which carries the defined, fine-grain tannins and background of spicy, savoury oak.

This wine is about fragrance and texture, which is assisted by our pioneering co-fermentation technique with a small proportion of Gruner Veltliner skins as well as whole-cluster fermentation. The co-fermentation gives a white pepper spice quality to the flavour spectrum and intensifies and stabilises the brilliant purple hue of Syrah. The result is layers of complexity in flavour and tannins which will allow an intriguing long-term ageing potential.

Tasting Profile