Zaria Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2018 $30 Crafted by Bryce Edmonds from Mendoza clone fruit grown ‘over the back fence’ of their home on Lesley’s Vineyard on Maraekakaho Road in the middle of the Bridge Pa Triangle. The juice was fermented and matured for 10 months in 33% new oak during which time 100% of it … Read More
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Smith & Sheth Cru Mangatahi Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2018
Smith & Sheth Cru Mangatahi Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2018 $60 In a word. Phenomenal. They call the boulders that litter the soils of the Mangatahi sub-region, west of Hastings, ‘Mangatahi swedes’, which is a bit of a dig at the ‘Gimblett Gravels’ or ‘Te Awanga pebbles’ monikers out there. The vines thrive on sun-saturated, … Read More
Maison Noire Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2017
Maison Noire Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2017 $22 If it’s the soft, peppery, violet-soaked style of syrah that wets your whistle and shivers your timbers, then get set for some shakin’ because this new release from the good folk at Maison Noire is the business. Lightly-styled and luscious (rather than a spicy, tannic, muscle-bomb) it’s a … Read More
Peckham’s Phantasmic 2018 Artisan Cider 750ml
CIDER PHANTASIES The multi-award winning folk at Peckham’s cider have really gone spiritual on it and created ‘Phantasmic 2018’ a truly wild cider available in 750ml ($19.99) where Kingston Black, Knotted Kernel, Browns, Harry Master’s Jersey and Chisel Jersey Cider apples are fermented on their skins with Torulaspora Delbrueckii and Prise de Mousse yeasts, then … Read More
Junction Wines Central Hawke’s Bay Persistence 2017
Junction Wines Central Hawke’s Bay Persistence 2017 $22 A top-secret blend of white grapes grown on the limestone-packed Takapau Plains in Central Hawke’s Bay has been crafted into this incredibly stylish, sophisticated sparkling wine by Leith Ashworth. Soft marzipan and lemon notes on the nose merge with silky-soft citrus, clean biscuity complexity and a pillowy, … Read More
Mount Michael The Mountaineer Central Otago Pinot Gris 2019
Mount Michael The Mountaineer Central OtagoPinot Gris 2019 $24.99 While it’s been crafted in a ‘dry’ style, this new addition to the Mountaineer range is actually incredibly rich and shows great nashi, apple and peachy intensity on the nose and palate. Clean, precise, focused and flavoursome, it’s perky and pure and has great cellaring potential … Read More
Blank Canvas Escaroth Marlborough Pinot Noir 2017
Blank Canvas Escaroth Marlborough Pinot Noir 2017 $49 Here’s a wine showing total class and elegance and you should own it immediately because that’s you in a nutshell right? Grown by Andy and Kyna Laurie, in their dry-farmed, north-facing Taylor Pass vineyard (named after the fictional lake town where the elves in The Hobbit sourced … Read More
Maison Noire Hawke’s Bay Arneis 2019
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
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
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