Dark berries
Warm spice
Oak

Everyday Low

Mills Reef 'Arthur Edmund' Syrah 2020

Name: Mills Reef 'Arthur Edmund' Syrah 2020
SKU: 124697
Price: 299.99 NZD
Availability: InStock

Wine · New Zealand · 13%

$299.99each

What it tastes like

Blackberry · pepper · spice

Mills Reef "Arthur Edmund" Syrah 2020 is a prestigious New Zealand red wine from the winery's flagship Arthur Edmund range, named in honour of the pioneering grandfather of the Mills Reef founders. Crafted only in exceptional vintages, it showcases the finest expression of Gimblett Gravels Syrah, delivering remarkable depth, elegance, and complexity. The wine opens with intense aromas of blackberry, boysenberry, violet, and cracked black pepper, layered with subtle notes of spice and finely integrated French oak. Full-bodied and beautifully structured, it reveals concentrated dark fruit flavours, silky tannins, and exceptional balance, leading to a long, refined finish. Its sophistication and ageing potential make it an outstanding choice for special occasions and fine dining. Best served at room temperature, it pairs beautifully with premium cuts of beef, lamb, and richly flavoured dishes.

Dark berries
Warm spice
Oak

Additional information

Wine
Style: New Zealand
Origin: 13% ABV
Alcohol: 0.8 per bottle
Standard drinks

The story of Mills Reef 'Arthur Edmund' Syrah 2020

Arthur Edmund is the highest rung on the Mills Reef ladder, set above the Elspeth wines. The label honours the grandfather of Mills Reef co-founder Tim Preston, and it is made only in the best years. That is why there have been just two releases, the 2013 and this 2020, and why each bottle of the 2020 is individually numbered from a run of only a few hundred.

The fruit comes from the winery's own Gimblett Gravels vineyards in Hawke's Bay, from low yielding vines that are hand harvested. The cellar work is deliberately light. The wine is bottled unfined and unfiltered, so the stony vineyard shows in the glass without anything taken out along the way.

In the glass the 2020 offers violets and red berries, sweet olive and blackcurrant, with a little silty earth underneath. New oak is easy to spot on the nose and turns to clove and vanilla on the palate. Fine tannins and acidity frame the fruit, and the finish is long and dusty. It drinks now and holds comfortably through 2033.

Give it an hour in the glass before dinner. Slow roasted lamb shoulder with rosemary or a seared venison loin will suit its weight.