Soumah Hexham Single Vineyard Syrah 2021
by Soumah Winery
- Grape variety
- Syrah
- Region
- Hexham Vineyard, Yarra Valley, Victoria (GI Yarra Valley), Australia
- Style
- red
- Alcohol
- 13.5%
- Vintage
- 2021
Price: CHF 26 In stock
About this wine
Brett Butcher founded Soumah in 1997 with a specific idea: make Australian wine that could sit alongside Northern Rhône Syrah and Burgundian Pinot Noir. He chose the Yarra Valley — Victoria's oldest wine region, positioned close to the ocean and the mountains, with cool summers and cold winters, average temperatures between Bordeaux and Burgundy. The wine is deliberately labelled Syrah, not Shiraz — a statement of intent about style and reference. The Hexham is a single vineyard expression from three Syrah clones, hand-picked and selected, fermented together as one lot, then aged 18 months in 500-litre French oak barrels with 25% new. The 2021 is compact, focused, and aromatic — dark fruit, violet, cracked pepper, the savoury depth that cool-climate Syrah delivers and warm-climate versions rarely match. SWA Gold.
Tasting notes
Deep purple-red with excellent density. The nose is complex and expressive — black cherry and plum lead, with violet, cracked black pepper and dried herbs, followed by smoky notes of tobacco and leather from the oak aging. On the palate, well-structured and full with medium tannins and a freshness that only cool climates preserve. Long, balanced finish. Still improving with time in the cellar.
Aromas
black cherry, plum, violet, black pepper, dried herbs, tobacco, leather
Critic scores
- Vivino: 3.8
Structure
body medium · tannin medium · acidity high · sweetness dry
Serving
Serve at 17–19°C · Drink 2025–2033
Food pairings
Roast duck breast with cherry sauce, Rack of lamb with herbs, Mushroom and thyme tart, Aged hard cheese
Best for
Duck or lamb. Plan the meal around it.
From the winemaker
100% Syrah from 3 clones; Hexham single vineyard, Yarra Valley, Victoria; poor sandy loam and clay soils at ~120m altitude; hand-picked and selected; fermented as one plot; 18 months in 500L French oak barrels, 25% new. Soumah Winery, founded 1997 by Brett Butcher.
Editor's note
Soumah's Hexham Syrah is a deliberate argument: that the Yarra Valley can produce cool-climate Syrah that belongs in the same conversation as the Northern Rhône. Brett Butcher founded the winery in 1997 with exactly this ambition, and he deliberately calls it Syrah. Three clones from the Hexham vineyard, hand-picked, 18 months in 500L French oak. Dark cherry, violet, cracked pepper, tobacco, leather. The 2021 is compact and focused — still improving, SWA Gold, and making the case clearly.
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