2008 Passage Rock Syrah

JancisRobinson.com

• By Richard Hemming, MW
  1/12/2011, (See more on JancisRobinson.com...)

  (Passage Rock Syrah Waiheke Island Red) Subscribe to see review text.

• By Stephen Tanzer
  September 2009, (See more on Vinous...)

  (Passage Rock Syrah Waiheke Island) Login and sign up and see review text.

Garagiste

• By Jon Rimmerman
  5/5/2010, (See more on Garagiste...)

  (PASSAGE ROCK Syrah) Passage Dear Friends, I've been scratching and clawing to secure the rights to this property for several years and the sun has finally parted. With that... You are about to embark on the unknown. It involves a majestic landscape, a tropical island and the painstaking persistence of David and Veronica Evans-Gander as they planted their vines one by one. As far as Syrah is concerned, today's offer represents a snapshot that should be studied by those with a collector's affinity for the grape - whether consumer or grower. If you push off from the west coast of the US on a raft, eventually you will get to the eastern shore of Waiheke Island - a nature paradise on the Hauraki Gulf off the coast of New Zealand. If you thought Central Otago was out of the way, you "aint seen nothing yet"... The only way to properly describe the craggy, unspoiled beauty of this place (despite a plethora of vacation homes) and the turquoise color of the ocean that surrounds it is to see it yourself - or, in our modern way, by glancing at it on the internet (which I encourage you to do now) - I will pause for a moment to allow you to get acquainted: http://waiheke.aucklandnz.com/index.html Making wine on Waiheke Island is akin to growing grapes off the Maui Coast - it's not what you would expect. Unlike the South Island of NZ (that is Antarctic in leaning as you tread down its coast), the North Island is the opposite - tropical in leaning as you tread North. Auckland (near the northern tip) has a humid and sub-tropical climate that is in complete juxtaposition to say, Christchurch or Wellington - it's almost like two different countries and many in NZ would agree that there is a gentle rivalry between North and South Islanders who live a very different existence despite their unity (much like Northern and Southern California, but in this case, the axis is reversed). Waiheke Island lies off the coast of the North Island but its unique position gives it complete independence from the rest of the nation. It is far less humid than Auckland with more heating degree days and pure sunshine. It is a paradise for fruit and vegetation, not to mention people. While development has crept in over the last two decades (much to the chagrin of locals - think of this as Nantucket Island and you will get the idea), the entire Eastern Shore is mostly undisturbed nature land and that is where Passage Rock Wines has staked their claim. The scope of the land may be tiny, the production even smaller but the accolades for Passage Rock are anything but. In some way, karma and the hand of man have collided on this virgin landscape to produce wine of uncanny quality that even the owners can't quite understand (in a similar way that Galardi has an unexplainable synthesis between its terroir and the hand of the owners). Landscape aside, Passage Rock is not just a pretty face. Their Syrah is recognized among the finest in the Southern Hemisphere (not just in NZ) and the style is decidedly unique. Think of it as a Waiheke Island persona - one that is precise, clean and "perfect" in many ways - reflective of the volcanic origin of the soil (just like Galardi). It is completely the opposite of something like Pyramid Valley which is random, spontaneous and characteristic of its renegade roots (regardless if the outcome is not always the most popular in the room, which is a distinct positive). Passage Rock is nearly always the most popular in the room, whether the opinion is from a collector or critic. Both sides of the spectrum (random/organic vs. precise/perfect) have their appeal and one is not necessarily better than the other - simply different. If you've tasted the wine of Passage Rock in the past (which is doubtful as 95% of their production stays in NZ), you already know their potential. I will tell you that the 2008's are off the wall good (better than the highly scored 2006's and 2007's) and David and Veronika quietly agree (they are actually downright giddy but, like Harlan or Scarecrow, their mailing list does not need any further hype) Passage Rock produces a number of wines but today we focus on their most alluring - the Syrah and the Reserve Syrah. Both have just scored a perfect 5/5 by Michael Cooper, (also by Winestate) and Cooper has given the winery "Classic" status held by only a handful of other wineries in New Zealand. As you may imagine, the regular Syrah spends less time in barrel, has lower alcohol and is more old-world (although still a mouthful - there is nothing "regular" about it as the fruit purity sits on the tongue for up to a minute) - the Reserve is deeper, darker and richer - it requires over 24 hours to unwind in a decanter with layers of olive, spice, pancetta and black pepper that are unending in length - I could still taste it minutes after the final sip. Both are incredibly pure, alluring and magnetic wines but they are like opposite ends of the magnet. For further review/info on the winery: http://www.passagerockwines.co.nz/accolades.html If you are interested in the exploration of the new and noteworthy before it influences the mainstream, the Syrah at Passage Rock would be a lovely place to further your point of view. From where David and Veronika's house sits, that view is among the most splendid in the world. From the winery: "Passage Rock Wines is dedicated to the passion of winemaking and the joys of life - may you discover both in this bottle" I'll toast to that. ONE SMALL SHIPMENT ONLY directly from the cellars at Passage Rock (this is the only parcel coming to North America - we've kept the margin as slim as we can so the pricing is similar to that in NZ). 2008 Passage Rock Syrah (Waiheke Island) 2008 Passage Rock "Reserve" Syrah (Waiheke Island) Thank you, Jon Rimmerman Garagiste Seattle, WA NZ6540 NZ6550