This wine is Unison Vineyard's signature wine, along with the "reserve" level Unison Selection. It's a blend of Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot from Estate grapes. The proportions of the blend are not specified, and deliberately so. When I queried Unison about this, I was told it views the Unison wine as a style whose blend may vary from year to year, so the exact percentage of each variety is really beside the point. It's nice to encounter a producer with such a clear, confident vision.
Red-purple colour, not massively dense, pretty. The nose immediately presents bright, sweet red fruits within a billowy arena of pepper and dried flowers. It's striking and bold, full of character, if a little simple and gangly. There's good intensity on the nose and it showed consistency through the evening, with perhaps each element calming a little with time in glass. The entry and middle palate are equally forward, showing great line from nose to palate. The same flavour profile of slightly simple red fruit, pepper and dusty florals marches through the mouth, gushing to an after palate that emphasises the sweet fruit dimension more strongly. Oak is present but not an overwhelming element, the wine aged in large casks rather than smaller vessels. Body is medium to full, intensity is generous. What I like best about this wine, though, is its texture. Mouthfeel is strikingly textural, with acid, tannin and fruit combining to create a certain rusticity that is most attractive and an excellent counterbalance to the brightness of the fruit. There's an evenness to the texture, too, that ensures no spikes or angularity.
A delicious wine to be drunk with food, preferably something bold and hearty, amongst friends. Cracking value.
Price: $NZ28
Closure: Diam
Date tasted: January 2007
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