Shed 530 Estate, Hawke's Bay Syrah, 2022

Grapes

Syrah

Vintage report

The 2022 vintage in Hawke's Bay arrived after a growing season that tested growers' nerves before ultimately rewarding their patience. A wet, unsettled summer gave way to a warm, dry autumn — which is, as any Hawke's Bay producer will tell you, exactly when it matters most. That late-season sunshine allowed fruit to ripen slowly and fully, concentrating flavour without cooking the life out of the grapes. The result was a harvest with genuine depth and freshness in the same glass, which is not always an easy trick to pull off in a region that can tip toward heat-driven excess in warmer years.

Across the board, 2022 produced wines with real structural integrity. Syrah — the variety that has made Hawke's Bay's reputation on the world stage — looks particularly strong, with the kind of savoury, peppery definition that sets the region apart from warmer-climate expressions. Bordeaux varieties did well too, with Cabernet Franc showing its increasingly confident place in the region's hierarchy. These are wines that are drinking well now but have the bones to reward another three to five years in the cellar. We'd be reaching for them with confidence.