Levantine Hill Estate Syrah 2019

Levantine Hill Estate is a remarkable vineyard that has merged two vineyards in the heart of the Yarra Valley. The first vineyard has been producing superior grapes since the 1990s, while the other vineyard comprises lovingly planted family blocks surrounding the Homestead and a truffiére. Together, these two vineyards have become a testament to the passion and toil of dedicated human hands and man's tenuous relationship with the nurturing love of Mother Nature. Levantine Hill Estate began against the odds when the experts told the owners that the chosen piece of the Yarra Valley was far too steep and had too many underlying rocky outcrops, making it impossible to plant viable vines. However, the owners saw the potential and used a diamond-tipped drilling rig to remove the rocks, making Levantine Hill Estate take shape. Today, Levantine Hill Estate is a family vineyard that only bottles premium wines in impeccable years. The vineyard rises from the shores of the Yarra River at 75 meters and peaks at 225 meters above sea level. The vines thrive in looking out over steep clay loam slopes, at similar elevations to the Grand Cru vineyards of Chablis, France. The slopes, amphitheatres, valleys and orientation combine to create a distinct microclimate in each paddock. Levantine Hill Estate's uniqueness is evident in its Estate and Family Paddocks range, drawn respectively from its Maroondah Highway and Hill Road single vineyard sites. The wines are complex and classic, yet fresh, drawing inspiration from their historical heartland in France. The specificity of their faithful expression of the vineyard sites makes them highly individual and unable to be replicated anywhere else in the world. Levantine Hill Estate is committed to pursuing perfection, believing that perfection has no end point. Every member of the team is dedicated to creating only wines of finesse, longevity and outstanding character.

The Yarra Valley boasts a rich winemaking history that dates back to the mid-19th century. Today, it is recognized as one of Australia's premier wine regions, celebrated for its exceptional cool-climate varietals. From elegant Chardonnays to vibrant Pinot Noirs, the Yarra Valley produces wines of exceptional quality and complexity. The region's unique combination of cool temperatures and diverse soil types creates the perfect conditions for grape cultivation. Rolling hills, lush vineyards and gently flowing rivers contribute to the Yarra Valley's idyllic terroir, resulting in wines that beautifully express the characteristics of the land.

The Levantine Hill Estate Syrah is a medium-bodied cool-climate Shiraz that balances volume and body with elegance and restraint. This enticingly perfumed and refined wine is the result of an assemblage of ten individual small batches sourced from Block 25 on the Maroondah Highway vineyard. On the nose, this wine leads with an intense flurry of white pepper and black cherries. The complex slow-evolving nose additionally offers a brooding mélange of black cardamom, nutmeg, za’atar, oregano, tapenade, charcuterie, fired clay and wood ash. The palate delivers poise, presence and weight with a plush definition and resolve. Fruit intensity redolent of fresh figs, chicory, pomegranate molasses, cranberry and fruit mince pies washes through with a subliminal Campari-like bitterness tempered with a building resonance of flavour and gravelly tannin. The density of black fruits is so tightly wound and integrated that no one element stands above the others at this point, pushing right through to a deep and resounding finish. 

The Finer Details
Style - Red Wine
Varietal - Syrah
Country - Australia
Region - Yarra Valley
Vintage - 2019
Bottle Size - 750ml
ABV - 13%