Château Puygueraud Francs – Côtes de Bordeaux 2015 $39.99

August 13, 2018By Yvonne

Great Bordeaux for under fifty bucks? It can be done and this blend of 80% merlot, 15% cabernet franc and 5% malbec proves it. Pour it into a large glass and swirl it vigourously or decant it if you can. That’ll inject a whoomph of oxygen into the wine, accelerating the aromatics and plumping out … Read More

Paltrinieri Radice Lambrusco Di Sorbara NV $17.70

August 13, 2018By Yvonne

I can totally see why Wine Enthusiast magazine called this “one of the best Lambrusco’s out there” and chose it as one of their Top 10 wines for 2017. Ruby-coloured, spritzy and beautifully dry, it’s wine with a whiff of wild strawberry and grapefruit zest and a mouthfeel replete with racy, bracing acidity and texture. … Read More

Arc du Rhone Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2013 $46

August 12, 2018By Yvonne

There’s a group of villages in the Rhone that when joined together look like an arc – and this wine comes from the most famous cru at the southern tip of that arc, the Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Three grapes, grenache noir, syrah and carignan have created an earthy, savoury, tobacco and dark fruited style that, seven years … Read More

Yvonne Lorkin Canvas Column for Sat 11 Aug 2018

August 12, 2018By Yvonne

Arc du Rhone Chateauneuf-du-Pape 2013 $46 There’s a group of villages in the Rhone that when joined together look like an arc – and this wine comes from the most famous cru at the southern tip of that arc, the Chateauneuf-du-Pape. Three grapes, grenache noir, syrah and carignan have created an earthy, savoury, tobacco and … Read More

Milcrest Estate Nelson Pinot Noir 2013 $41 (4 stars)

August 9, 2018By Yvonne

If you’re looking for a ripe, voluptuous, vanilla-and-spice style then you’ve come to the right cul-de-sac. Saturated with concentrated cherry, raspberry and redcurrant characters, the 11 months its spent in oak has given it a slightly smoky edge and buckets of smooth generous goodness in the mouth. Ripe, fleshy and feisty after 5 years, it’s … Read More

Porters Martinborough Pinot Noir 2014 $45 (4.5 stars)

August 9, 2018By Yvonne

It’s hard not to fall hard for Martinborough. Such a quaint, pretty little village surrounded by row upon row of vineyards – yet don’t be lulled into thinking there’s anyting quaint about it’s style of pinot noir. It’s all about impression, big impression and that’s what this wine delivers in spades. Made by proprietor John … Read More

Matawhero First Sun Gisborne Rosé 2018 $39.95 (3.5 stars)

August 7, 2018By Yvonne

What’s better than a bottle of crisp, snappy, fruit-soaked rosé? An even bigger bottle that’s what! Now it might be the middle of winter, but the team at Matawhero reckon it’s time they release their tribute to growing grapes in the first place that sees the sun each day. Made from merlot grapes, this has … Read More

Matahiwi Estate Wairarapa Pinot Gris 2018 $22.90 (4.5 stars)

August 7, 2018By Yvonne

I am head over heels with this wine. Not because I naturally have the hand-eye coordination of a one legged pirate with glaucoma and a bad case of OOS, but because the exotic, pear strudel and apple pie richness of this gris has seriously got me in its grip. White peach, soft spices and a … Read More