Novum Basket Press Syrah 2021 from Marlborough is a dense, peppery Syrah that shows just how serious cool‑climate New Zealand shiraz can be. Ripe dark plums and berries are wrapped in violet perfume, black pepper and spicy French oak, with a touch of tobacco leaf and mocha in the background. It’s full‑flavoured but finely tuned, sitting at a modest alcohol with a voluptuous yet moderately silken texture and impressively long finish.

The fruit comes from a tiny, ultra‑close‑planted Syrah block in the Brancott Valley, co‑planted with a small portion of Viognier for extra mid‑palate weight and colour. Hand‑harvested, wild‑fermented, left over 35 days on skins then basket‑pressed to French oak puncheons (around 30% new) for 12 months, it’s built for concentration, perfume and fine, drying tannin rather than simple fruitiness. Sweet‑core dark fruit is beautifully balanced by those savoury, powdery tannins, giving structure and real ageing potential.

On the table, Novum Basket Press Syrah 2021 is ideal with lamb racks, venison, char‑grilled rib‑eye, peppered beef, slow‑cooked lamb shoulder, game dishes and mushroom‑rich plates. It will also sing with smoked or grilled meats and hard, nutty cheeses, and is the sort of bottle that will reward a decant now or careful cellaring over a decade.