Esk Valley's Artisanal Syrah is a Hawke's Bay blend of Gimblett Road gravels and Bay View limestone, made the old way: wild yeast, open-top concrete fermenters, minimal handling. Expect raspberry, wood spice and pepper, with a soft, generous palate and underlying acidity keeping it fresh. It's an easy-drinking, food-friendly style of Hawke's Bay Syrah.
Hawke's Bay is New Zealand's home for Syrah, and Esk Valley has been making it since the variety first found its feet there in the 1990s. The Artisanal Syrah draws on two different sites - the stony gravels of Gimblett Road and the limestone-influenced Heipipi Vineyard at Bay View - and is made with a deliberately traditional, lo-fi approach rather than a heavily worked one.
This sits at the approachable end of Esk Valley's range: a Syrah for drinking rather than deep cellaring, with the winery's softer, slightly jammier house style on full display. It's a good match for anyone who finds some Hawke's Bay Syrah too firm or peppery in its youth.
What it tastes like
Raspberry and wood spice lead, with a note of black pepper running through. The palate is soft and generous, built around ripe red fruit rather than firm structure, with enough underlying acidity to keep it lively and give the finish some length.
Esk Valley ferments this wine with wild yeast in open-top concrete fermenters and includes a portion of whole bunches, an ongoing house practice that favours texture and perfume over power. It's matured in French oak, part of the same traditional approach, adding gentle spice without weighing the fruit down.
Style at a glance
- Body: Medium
- Sweetness: Dry
- Acidity: Fresh, supporting the fruit rather than dominating it
- Tannin: Soft and ripe
- Oak: French oak, part of Esk Valley's traditional ageing approach, adding gentle spice
- Style: Soft, generous, easy-drinking Hawke's Bay Syrah
Food
This is an easy match for mid-week cooking: a peppered steak, sausages off the barbecue, a mushroom and thyme risotto, or roast duck with plum sauce. It also works well with a mild lamb curry, and a semi-hard cheese like Gouda sits nicely alongside it.
Who makes it
Esk Valley is based at Bay View, just north of Napier in Hawke's Bay, and has built its reputation on a deliberately traditional, hands-off style of winemaking - open-top fermenters, wild yeast, and as little intervention as the wine will allow. Winemaker Gordon Russell, known within the industry as "Mr Merlot" for his long association with Hawke's Bay reds, has led winemaking at Esk Valley for decades. The Artisanal Syrah draws fruit from Gimblett Road's free-draining gravels and the Heipipi Vineyard at Bay View, where limestone in the soil brings a different character to the blend, with both sites planted to the Limmer Heritage Syrah clone.
About the 2024 vintage
Hawke's Bay's 2024 growing season started slowly, with a cool, unsettled spring and wet weather during flowering in late November that cut potential crop levels, particularly for red varieties. Conditions then turned around: a dry, largely disease-free summer followed, with more than 25 days over 30°C but few extremes beyond that, giving the fruit a long, even ripening run. Harvest stretched from early March into mid-April, with Syrah among the last of the reds to come in. Yields were down, but the fruit that resulted was in excellent condition, with good flavour concentration and a sound tannin and acid balance - a welcome turnaround after the difficult, La Niña-affected 2023 vintage.
When to drink it
Most Hawke's Bay Syrah in this softer, more generous style drinks well over its first 3 to 6 years, and Esk Valley hasn't published a specific window for the 2024. Its soft tannin and ripe fruit already make it approachable, and it isn't a wine built primarily for long-term cellaring.
Technical details
| Winery |
Esk Valley |
| Wine |
Artisanal Syrah |
| Vintage |
2024 |
| Variety |
Syrah |
| Vineyard |
Gimblett Road (stony gravels) and Heipipi Vineyard, Bay View (limestone-influenced soils) |
| Region |
Hawke's Bay |
| Country |
New Zealand |
| Fermentation |
Wild yeast, open-top concrete fermenters, partial whole-bunch inclusion |
| Oak |
French oak, as part of Esk Valley's traditional ageing approach |
| Serving temperature |
Best served slightly below room temperature, around 16-18°C |
Where to buy
For international delivery to the USA, Australia, UK, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, China and South Korea, the Esk Valley Artisanal Syrah 2024 is available via our winenz.com website. For delivery in New Zealand you can purchase from thewineryonline.co.nz. If you are visiting New Zealand, you can also buy it at our Queenstown and Arrowtown stores, alongside a large range of New Zealand and international wine.
Questions we are often asked
What does Esk Valley Artisanal Syrah taste like?
Raspberry, wood spice and black pepper, with a soft, generous palate and fresh underlying acidity. It's an easy-drinking style of Hawke's Bay Syrah rather than a firm, structured one.
Is Esk Valley Artisanal Syrah a blend?
No - it's 100% Syrah, sourced from two Hawke's Bay sites: the gravels of Gimblett Road and the limestone-influenced Heipipi Vineyard at Bay View.
How long will Esk Valley Artisanal Syrah 2024 keep?
Most Hawke's Bay Syrah in this softer style drinks well over its first 3 to 6 years. Esk Valley hasn't published a specific window for the 2024, but its soft tannin and ripe fruit make it approachable now.
What food goes with Esk Valley Artisanal Syrah?
Something simple and flexible: a peppered steak, barbecued sausages, a mushroom and thyme risotto, or roast duck with plum sauce. A mild lamb curry is also a good match.
What was the 2024 vintage like in Hawke's Bay?
A slow, cool start with wet weather at flowering cut crop levels, followed by a dry, largely disease-free summer. Yields were down but quality was excellent, marking a strong recovery from the difficult 2023 vintage.
Where can I buy Esk Valley Artisanal Syrah 2024?
The Winery ships Esk Valley Artisanal Syrah 2024 internationally from winenz.com to the USA, Australia, UK, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, China and South Korea, and delivers within New Zealand from thewineryonline.co.nz. It is also available in our Queenstown and Arrowtown stores.
