£19.99–£24.70 Noble Grape (UK), The House of New Zealand Wine, The New Zealand Cellar
It's always a thrill to taste a debut vintage, not least when it's from an estate you've long admired. Seresin in Marlborough, founded and steered by filmmaker Michael Seresin, makes beautiful wines, especially Pinot Noirs from different vineyards, but this is the first Syrah and it's characteristically expressive and pure. It's very much in the cool-climate Crozes-Hermitage mould with tangy red berry fruit and savoury white pepper, black olive and salty mineral notes underscored by fine tannins. There's no hurry to drink it, but it's certainly there now for red meat, including venison, beef and lamb, wild duck and other game birds or kidneys, and you can be generous with pepper, herbs such as rosemary, and black olives in wine-rich casseroles. Seresin is an organic and biodynamic estate and the Syrah is no exception, although this first vintage is not certified. Subsequent vintages will be. 12.5%.
Seresin Syrah 2016, Marlborough, New Zealand
£19.99, Noble Grape (UK); £20.99 (or £18.99 in any 6-bottle mix), The House of New Zealand Wine; £24.70, The New Zealand Cellar