Vidal Reserve Gimblett Gravels Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

September 14, 2015By Yvonne

Vidal Reserve Gimblett Gravels Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 $19 ★★★★½ The gold medals are already swinging off the neck of this wine crafted by the ridiculously talented Hugh Crichton.  A blend of 57 % merlot, 35% cabernet sauvignon, 7% malbec and 1% cabernet franc, this wine hits that sweet spot between delivering muscular, meaty, dark … Read More

Luna Argenta Appassimento Negroamaro Primitivo 2013

September 14, 2015By Yvonne

Luna Argenta Appassimento Negroamaro Primitivo 2013 $24 ★★★★ The ‘Appassimento’ style is made from grapes that are partially dried or ‘raisining on the vine’  That dessicating fruit produces a rich, spicy-sweet spectrum of flavours and textures that are incredibly approachable and dangerously easy to enjoy.  It’s a Puglia-grown blend of Negroamaro and Primitivo, otherwise known … Read More

Lawson’s Dry Hills Reserve Pinot Noir 2013

September 14, 2015By Yvonne

Lawson’s Dry Hills Reserve Pinot Noir 2013 $28 ★★★★★ Marcus Wright and Becs Wiffen are like the Torvill and Dean of New Zealand winemaking teams, and the emotion involved in drinking this wine they’ve created is like watching those athletes ice-skate their Bolero routine at the 1984 Olympics all over again.  That sense of something … Read More

Two Hands Gnarly Dudes Barossa Shiraz 2013

September 14, 2015By Yvonne

Two Hands Gnarly Dudes Barossa Shiraz 2013 $38 ★★★★½ There’s something oddly comforting about drinking a wine from a bottle that has a picture of a  grapevine so old and gnarly it looks like Treebeard the Ent from Lord of the Rings on the label.  Dark, inky-magenta coloured and bursting with dusty leather, eucalypt, ultra-ripe … Read More

Mojo Barossa Valley Shiraz 2013

September 14, 2015By Yvonne

Mojo Barossa Valley Shiraz 2013 $24 ★★★★ I love that the label says that the storybookish, fantasy forest creatures artwork was done by GhostPatrol “whilst listening to K Frimpong and his Cubano Fiestas”.  This is a very pretty wine inside also.  Delicious aromas of dusty spices, leather and cocoa lead to sweet plum and berry-soaked … Read More

Karikari Estate Calypso Chardonnay 2013

September 14, 2015By Yvonne

Karikari Estate Calypso Chardonnay 2013 $29 ★★★★ This little cracker from the far north is a new favourite because it hit the right cinnamon, struck match and smoke notes needed to cloak the underlying roast pineapple and peach flavours on the palate.  It’s robust enough to nicely pair with anything resembling a roast chook or … Read More

El Burro Kickass Garnacha 2013

August 14, 2015By Yvonne

El Burro Kickass Garnacha 2013 $16.95 ★★★½ Kickass by name and kickass by nature (if ‘by nature’ means you’re looking for a bright, vibrantly fruity, berry-driven red that also has a sniff of cocoa and cured beef and boasts a plush, toasty finish)  According to the importer, it gets its name from the donkeys or … Read More

Sam Hunt Gisborne Chardonnay 2013

August 14, 2015By Yvonne

 Sam Hunt Gisborne Chardonnay 2013 $21.95 ★★★★ There’s a subtle, creamy lift on the nose, while waves of green nectarine and grapefruit wash across the palate with every sip, which is nice considering there are lines from Hunt’s poem Wavesong printed on the bottle.  Just a tweak of toasty oak adds to the experience and … Read More

Rockburn Central Otago Pinot Noir 2013

August 14, 2015By Yvonne

Rockburn Central Otago Pinot Noir 2013 $39 ★★★★ This’ll probably sound really weird, but I love that this pinot smells like moss-covered tree trunks in the rain, lush and earthy, with a layer of black tea, cherry and baking spices.  Fresh and juicy to drink, with pleasantly drying tannins, this well-crafted pinot has lovely fruit … Read More

Real Compania De Vinos Tempranillo 2013

August 14, 2015By Yvonne

Real Compania De Vinos Tempranillo 2013 $16 ★★★½ Super-fruity and packed with dark berries, cocoa nib and smoky, coconut and coffee notes, there’s a gentle, spicy, velvety mouthfeel in this Spanish sip which finishes with solid, chewy tannins.  www.winesale.co.nz