Maison Noire Hawke’s Bay Chenin Blanc 2023

November 25, 2023By Yvonne

Maison Noire Hawke’s Bay Chenin Blanc 2023 $24 It’d make perfect sense for Chenin Blanc to be Guillaume Thomas’ favourite white wine seeing as its a signature grape of the Loire and Guillaume also happens to be a signature child of the same place. Contrary to much of the chenin grown in New Zealand (and … Read More

Astrolabe Wrekin Late Harvest Marlborough Chenin Blanc 2022

February 4, 2023By Yvonne

Astrolabe Wrekin Late Harvest Marlborough Chenin Blanc 2022 $32 From one of New Zealand’s premium chenin blanc vineyards comes this nectarine and yellow plum-packed sweetie that has an incredibly fresh core of citrus and hints of honeysuckle. I love how zesty and energetic this wine is, sweet but vibrant and beautifully balanced. Astrolabe

Swift Wines Bridge Pa Triangle Chenin Blanc 2022

December 19, 2022By Yvonne

Swift Wines Bridge Pa Triangle Chenin Blanc 2022 $36 Fretting that the only local chenin blanc you’ve tasted seems to be a touch sweet? Help has arrived in the form of Lauren Swift’s shiny, new, intensely dry example which boasts a lift of apple skin, lime zest, and quartzy, chalky minerality. The palate is beautifully … Read More

A Little Maison Noire Magic – BayBuzz Magazine Christmas Issue 2022

December 2, 2022By Yvonne

Santé to Maison Noire by Yvonne LorkinNovember 29, 2022 Photo: Florence Charvin “My perfect Christmas present?” asks artist Esther Smith. “Easy. A trailer load of mulch.” Not exactly what I was expecting when asking Esther and her husband, winemaker Guillaume Thomas of Maison Noire wines, what their Christmas wishes were for 2022. But as I quickly … Read More

Astrolabe Marlborough Chenin Blanc Sec 2022

October 22, 2022By Yvonne

Astrolabe Marlborough Chenin Blanc Sec 2022 $25 We should all thank our lucky tonsils that Simon Waghorn chucked in a promising career in seaweed science to pursue winemaking instead. Otherwise, we’d not experience the floral, feisty intensity of this certified organic chenin blanc and that would be tragic. This sec (seck), chenin has a touch … Read More

Maison Noire Home Block Hawke’s Bay Chenin Blanc 2021

March 4, 2022By Yvonne

Maison Noire Home Block Hawke’s Bay Chenin Blanc 2021 $30 Grown in the deep limestone soils of winemaker Guillaume Thomas’ home vineyard high up on the Waimarama Road, this bracingly fresh, frisky, apple-edged chenin blanc is absolutely heaving with flavour and personality. Grapefruit, guava, stacks of citrus and overflowing with honeysuckle and jasmine florals. it’s … Read More

Astrolabe Wrekin Marlborough Chenin Blanc 2018

August 18, 2021By Yvonne

Astrolabe Wrekin Marlborough Chenin Blanc 2018 $32 Simon Waghorn and his wife Jane Forrest-Waghorn set up Astrolabe in Marlborough back in 1996 after years of making wine in Australia and Gisborne. I love that they’ve taken a leap and planted chenin blanc because it produces an apple and honeysuckle-scented dry white wine that’s rarely seen … Read More

Esk Valley Artisanal Collection Hawke’s Bay Chenin Blanc 2020

July 3, 2021By Yvonne

Esk Valley Artisanal Collection Hawke’s Bay Chenin Blanc 2020 $25 One of the things winemaker Gordon Russell knows about chenin blanc, is that if you give it an inch, it’ll take a mile. You’ve got to keep it semi-starved and its vigour in check in order to produce these gorgeous apple and honeysuckle-centric flavours. It’s … Read More

Maison Noire Home Block Hawke’s Bay Chenin Blanc 2020

February 16, 2021By Yvonne

Maison Noire Home Block Hawke’s Bay Chenin Blanc 2020 $30 Crafted from fruit grown in a tiny coast-facing vineyard amongst the hills along the Waimarama Road, this chenin blanc has clean, creamy, almond and apple aromatics and a super-nice nougat and citrus custard character in the mid palate which I really really love. But the … Read More

Maison Noire Home Block Hawke’s Bay Chenin Blanc 2019

May 29, 2020By Yvonne

Maison Noire Home Block Hawke’s Bay Chenin Blanc 2019 $28 If you’re looking for a fresh, creamy, apple-packed wine that delivers a cleansing slap around the chops then this Hawke’s Bay grown chenin is just the ticket.  Ultra-juicy and stitched together with a solid, mineral thread and finishing with a squeak of peardrop and almond.  … Read More