2006 Aurora Syrah, Bendigo

An old friend and his wife, in Auckland for 36 hours en route to Hong Kong, came for dinner on Friday night. We have known each other for 25 years and drunk countless bottles of wine together.  But what to serve ?
 

I should point out that my friend has a fantastic wine cellar, an encyclopaedic knowledge of fine wines and is a generous host.  When I was studying for my Master of Wine exams I lost count of the bottles of Burgundy, Rhone and Bordeaux he served us blind.  (My husband was an unwitting beneficiary of my studies). In fact looking back, I think every wine we have ever drunk together has been served 'blind', with one of us making the other give an assessment of the wine before the label is revealed.

So, back to the choice of wine.
 

Champagne to start (two birthdays to celebrate), a white with the Thai Salad but then ?  There really wasn't much point in opening French wine because I am pretty certain he has drunk most domaines, vintages and chateaux. (And when Frederic Engerer has hosted your birthday party at Chateau Latour, served all five 1959 First Growths including Latour in Marie Jeanne, a paltry bottle of Cru Bourgeois served chez nous in Auckland really isn't going seem all that exciting). And despite a life surrounded by wines that are either fabled, expensive or rare, my friend still retains a real interest in all types of wine and is more than happy to be served something that is unusual or from an emerging winery. Phew.
 

A look through the cellar revealed a bottle of 2006 Aurora Syrah, Bendigo that I had bought in a wine shop in Wanaka on the recommendation of the store owner. I hadn't tried it and I was pretty certain that my friend wouldn't have either.
 

The first time I visited Bendigo, I was shown round by Rudi Bauer who took a small group of wine media up to his vineyards in this (then) new Central Otago sub region overlooking Lake Dunstan.  Although it was only 8.30am I remember thinking how very hot it was already and as I stood in the sheltered amphitheatre of hills, my face (pink at the best of times) became redder and redder as the sun climbed higher.  By the time we left a couple of hours later I felt barbecued to a crisp.
 

So it comes as no surprise to me that the wines I have tasted from Bendigo have a distinctive, opulent almost super ripe character, not baked but intense, with extraordinary richness and power.

 

The 2006 Aurora Syrah was delicious. With a couple of years in bottle, the white pepper character mentioned on the winery website seems to have melted away, leaving ripe, perfumed damson and dark plum notes. The tannins are integrated giving a silky, textural palate - a wine at its peak now I would suggest. This isn't a big powerful wine as there isn't the depth of fruit of top examples, (though presumably this was made from youngish vines), but instead has been crafted to highlight elegance and perfume.

On this one showing (and of course things may have turned to custard since then - who knows?)  this is a winery with great potential.
 

Served alongside 2004 Clape Renaissance Cornas it more than held its own and drew gasps of surprise when I revealed that it was a Central Otago Syrah, and not from Gimblett Gravels.
 

I can't remember ho much I paid for the Aurora, though I think it was around $35.  Which seems, with the benefit of hindsight, a bargain.

 

 

       the bottles from Friday night.