Technical Analysis
The Nest Egg series is an elite group of Bird in Hand wines that have been specifically chosen by the winemaking team to receive the utmost care and attention. Limited quantities available.
Tasting note
Medium intense ruby colour with a purple hue. Intensely aromatic, lifted and perfumed, with blackberry and blueberry fruit complemented by a touch of black pepper, violet florals, and intriguing herbal and spice component from the whole bunch. Subtle hints of dark chocolate and a touch of vanilla from well-integrated oak aging add complexity and depth. Medium bodied, with supple fruit weight and wonderful depth to the flavour. The tannins are fine and focussed, and together with the acidity, they give the wine tremendous structure and length.
Vintage Conditions
2022 was the second consecutive growing season under a La Nina weather pattern. Winter rainfall was slightly below average, but enough to ensure full dams and plenty of soil moisture going into the growing season. Springtime conditions were varied, which led to quite a difference in flowering and fruit set across varieties. Overall bunch numbers were good, however the varied fruit set led to lower-than-average bunch weights. Summer temperatures were again quite mild when compared to recent times. Although there was very little heat stress placed on vines, summer and autumn were dry meaning careful use of irrigation was required to keep vine canopies fresh. The remainder of the ripening period through Autumn was favourable, with a burst of warm weather right before harvest meaning that the onset of ripening was fast and the window for picking was shorter than the previous season.
Vinification details
All vineyard parcels are kept separate from picking to final blending. The parcel from the Bird in Hand estate vineyard was carefully selected to undergo whole bunch fermentation. 20% of the fruit was handpicked and tipped directly into the bottom of a small open fermenter. The remaining 80% was destemmed on top with a mix of crushed and whole berries. Other parcels were gently destemmed, keeping a large percentage of whole berry, into open fermenters. All fermenters had gentle maceration during the 8-12 day of fermentation using a mix of plunging, gravity delestage and pump overs. Following fermentation, each batch was gently pressed to barrel for Malolactic Fermentation and matured for 16 months in tight grained French oak. The 2022 Nest Egg Syrah is a blend of 3 exceptional barrels from our best vineyards, from the outstanding 2022 season.
