Maison Noire Hawke’s Bay Arneis 2019 $22 Hailing from northern Italy and nicknamed ‘little rascal’ because of it being notoriously tricky to grow, Guillaume Thomas has given it a very happy home in the limestone and clay soils behind the Te Mata Peak range on the way to Waimarama Beach. Chock full of floral intensity, … Read More
Author: Yvonne
Odyssey Wines Hera Gisborne Chardonnay 2018
Odyssey Wines Hera Gisborne Chardonnay 2018 $70 Hera is winemaker Rebecca Salmond’s flagship chardonnay. Rebecca is a chardonnay obsessive, so if she deems fruit worthy of ‘Hera’ status then chardonnay lovers like me sit up and take notice. Before I launch into telling you how much I love this wine, here’s a quick Greek mythology … Read More
Organic Wine Wine Week is ON
Organic Wine Week is ON with an impressive list of events across New Zealand and within the heart of London. Please help us spread the good word! There is something for everyone. With the simple goal of sharing NZ’s best wine in a series of innovative and fun formats, Organic Wine Week will reiterate the … Read More
Coopers Creek Select Vineyards Gimblett Gravels Hawke’s Bay Merlot Malbec 2015
Coopers Creek Select Vineyards Gimblett Gravels Hawke’s Bay Merlot Malbec 2015 $23.75 Previously sold under the ‘Metals and Gravels’ label, this 57:43 M & M blend is showing how fantastic 2015 was in Hawke’s Bay for merlot-dominant, Bordeaux-style red wines. Elegant, statuesque and stacked with buckets of black fruits, masses of Christmas pudding spices and … Read More
Muré Signature Alsace Pinot Gris 2016
Muré Signature Alsace Pinot Gris 2016 $27 This Alsatian pinot gris kicks and punches like a teenage MMA fighter. Stacked to its chiselled cheekbones with pear, Golden Delicious apples, yuzu mandarin and classic honeysuckle characters, it’s bracing, brisk, and racy to drink and rocks with pear, chorizo, and mint salad. Fact: the Muré property is … Read More
Sacred Hill Single Vineyard Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2018
Sacred Hill Single Vineyard Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2018 $25 Sourced from their ‘Riflemans’ vineyard (which is fast becoming known as a national treasure) this new chardonnay ticks all the boxes for fruit weight, bright acidity, caramelised, coconutty oak and citrus complexity in the mid-palate and finish. It’s richly structured, toasty and shows a whisker of … Read More
Pegasus Bay Aged Release Prima Donna Waipara Pinot Noir 2009
Pegasus Bay Aged Release Prima Donna Waipara Pinot Noir 2009 $120 I think the ‘Aged Release’ program that the team at Pegasus Bay have created (in order for people to be able to enjoy what a perfectly cellared, 10yo wine tastes like) is a joyous thing for muppets like me who didn’t manage to get … Read More
Universe Central Otago Pinot Noir 2018
Universe Central Otago Pinot Noir 2018 $34.99 The heat trap that is the ancient glacial soils of Alexandra is responsible for this baked cherry, leather and prune-packed pinot noir. New to the market, and crafted in a completely vegan fashion, it’s a savoury, spice-fest of a wine boasting gentle, fleshy tannins, soft, medicinal notes and … Read More
Chard Farm Mason Vineyard Central Otago Pinot Noir 2017
Chard Farm Mason Vineyard Central Otago Pinot Noir 2017 $79 Very different to Chard Farm’s other single-vineyard wines and sourced from a high-altitude site in the Cromwell basin, winemaker John Wallace has created a spice-saturated wine that has a leaner, statuesque, tuxedo-wrapped profile with dried herb and seriously savoury elements. Pepper, redcurrant, olive, leather, and … Read More
Chard Farm Viper Vineyard Central Otago Pinot Noir 2017
Chard Farm Viper Vineyard Central Otago Pinot Noir 2017 $79 From a tricky, back-to-front harvest season, the pinot noir from Chard Farm set solid form. Sourced from their Viper vineyard located in the Parkburn area on the western side of Lake Dunstan. The site takes its name from the wildflower ”Vipers Bugloss” that carpets the … Read More