2019 Bilancia La Collina Syrah, Hawkes Bay

An exceptional La Collina release with such impressive depth and power, yet elegant and detailed, too. Aromas of black tea, red cherry and plum, pomegranate, cola nut, white pepper, clove and graphite. The palate is defined by long, tensile tannins and holds such pure fresh-fruit flavor in an intense, deep and focused finish. Power with elegance and purity here. Excellent syrah. Their finest release to date. Try from 2024. Screw cap.

99 points James Suckling

99 points puts this firmly into icon territory. Bilancia was founded by Lorraine Leheny and Warren Gibson in Hawke’s Bay in 1997, and La Collina has become their defining wine. The name means “the hill” in Italian, a reference to the steep hillside vineyard overlooking the Gimblett Gravels. Warren’s long experience with Syrah in Hawke’s Bay is evident here: La Collina is produced only when the vineyard delivers fruit worthy of the label.

The vineyard itself is the key to the wine. Syrah is planted on steep, north facing slopes where low yields, excellent drainage and long exposure to the sun encourage concentration without sacrificing fragrance. The superb 2019 vintage produced Hawke’s Bay Syrah with ripeness, structure and freshness in equal measure, and La Collina sits at the top of the tree. There is intensity here, but it is far removed from blockbuster Shiraz, leaning instead towards perfume, savoury complexity and beautifully controlled power.

Deep crimson with a purple core, opening with blackberry, blueberry and dark cherry before violet and cracked black pepper take over. Black olive, liquorice, graphite and smoked meat emerge with air, joined by rosemary, clove and a subtle ferrous note. The palate is concentrated yet remarkably composed, with dark fruit wrapped around fine, savoury tannins and fresh acidity. Pepper, olive, graphite and smoky spice stretch across a long finish that is only beginning to reveal its full complexity.

Rare beef with pepper and charred spring onions would be magnificent, alongside Korean galbi, lamb cutlets with rosemary and anchovy, tea smoked duck or miso glazed eggplant with sesame. Our pick is the galbi, its smoky sweetness and char playing beautifully with the Syrah’s dark fruit, pepper and savoury edge. A 99 point bottle deserves something more interesting than another roast.

Cellaring: Drink now with a decant or cellar to 2042+.