Kusuda Syrah 2013

Region: Martinborough, New Zealand

Grape: Syrah

Vineyard Practice: Sustainable

Culinary Suggestions: Lamb Ragu, Grilled Venison, Smoked Eggplant, Roast Pheasant

Alcohol: 13%

Bottle Size: 750ml

Overview

Kusuda Wines, located in Martinborough, New Zealand, was founded in 2001 by Hiroyuki Kusuda, a former Tokyo lawyer who pursued his passion for winemaking by studying oenology in Germany. Kusuda moved to New Zealand to craft wines of exceptional quality, and his meticulous approach in the vineyard and winery quickly gained attention. Every grape at Kusuda is handpicked with great precision, often with workers individually inspecting and handling each grape—an unusual level of care that reflects Kusuda's dedication to purity and detail.

Specializing in Pinot Noir, Syrah, and Riesling, Kusuda Wines are known for their elegance, balance, and remarkable depth, showcasing Martinborough’s unique terroir. Kusuda’s wines are produced in small quantities, and their limited availability, combined with their high quality, has garnered international acclaim. Each vintage reflects Hiro Kusuda’s philosophy of minimal intervention, aiming to create wines that are authentic expressions of both varietal and place.

The 2013 vintage from Kusuda is another testament to Hiroyuki Kusuda’s exacting standards and passion for Martinborough terroir. Every berry in this Syrah is meticulously hand-harvested and hand-sorted, ensuring the utmost purity of flavour and expression. Martinborough’s gravel soils and temperate climate allow Kusuda’s Syrah to ripen slowly, developing complex aromatics and nuanced minerality unique to the region. Kusuda’s minimal intervention approach, combined with the ideal conditions of 2013, have created a wine that embodies balance and depth, capturing both intensity and elegance.

This vintage benefitted from a warm growing season, leading to a wine with slightly more concentration and ripeness than previous years, yet still retaining Kusuda’s hallmark freshness and precision. Matured in French oak, the wine reveals layers of complexity, with dark fruit, floral accents, and savoury spice seamlessly woven together, highlighting the winemaker’s commitment to subtlety and refinement.

Critic Reviews

94 points

Gary Walsh, The Wine Front January 2017

Grilled meat with white pepper, tasteful vanilla oak, blackberry and more spice. Medium to full bodied, very spicy and peppery but through a core of plush black and dark cherry fruit, slightly chalky tannin on a firm spicy finish of fine length. Has depth and interest, and certainly in the zone for lovers of meaty spicy Shiraz.