Trinity Hill Gimblett Gravels Tempranillo 2021 $39.99 Trinity Hill first bottled tempranillo back in 2002, from a single barrel, making just 25 dozen bottles. They were one of the first wineries in New Zealand to leap into tempranillo and since then they’ve become an absolute force for good. Especially when it’s from one of Hawke’s … Read More
Hawke’s Bay
Te Mata Estate Awatea Cabernets Merlot 2020
Te Mata Estate Awatea Cabernets Merlot 2020 $40 If I were in a hostage situation and the gunman said “Somebody better tell me what’s the greatest local Bordeaux-style red wine that I can buy for under fifty bucks, in the next five seconds or the granny gets it!” I would be hollering “Te Mata Awatea … Read More
Petane Wines Kōtare Block Hawke’s Bay Gamay 2022
Petane Wines Kōtare Block Hawke’s Bay Gamay 2022 $30 Grown at their Eskdale vineyard, this is the very first bottling of Gamay for Petane Wines. Handpicked and fermented with partial carbonic maceration (where whole berries are left in an oxygen-free environment to ferment inside their own skins) and then pressed into older, neutral French oak … Read More
Petane Wines It’s Only Hawke’s Bay Gamay Piquette 2022
Petane Wines It’s Only Hawke’s Bay Gamay Piquette 2022 $22 Winemaker Philip Barber has had a crack at this ancient, yet newly trendy style by using gamay grape skins, rainwater, a few baskets of pinot gris and a decent 60lt splash of gamay juice which was re-fermented for 5 days in tank to close to … Read More
Petane Kōura Block Hawke’s Bay Pinot Blanc 2022
Petane Kōura Block Hawke’s Bay Pinot Blanc 2022 $28 Pinot Blanc is a marvellously tasty mutation of pinot noir and its spiritual home is over in the Alsace region of France. You’ll also find it in Germany, Italy, Hungary and now Hawke’s Bay. This is the debut pinot blanc for winemaker Philip Barber, who has … Read More
Mills Reef Estate Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2020
Mills Reef Estate Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2020 $18 Great value syrah here, buckets of red fruit. redcurrant, red apple and plum layers on the nose and palate merge with soft tannins, hints of pepper and earthy spices on the palate. Juicy, easy and a superb introduction to Hawke’s Bay syrah. Mills Reef
Squawking Magpie The Chatterer Hawke’s Bay Pinot Gris 2022
Squawking Magpie The Chatterer Hawke’s Bay Pinot Gris 2022 $24 Bright pear and green apple aromas combine with a tweak of nutmeg and yellow plum on the nose and palate. The acidity is fresh and peaky which accentuates its dry finish. 2022 was a challenging vintage and this is a solid effort.
A Little Maison Noire Magic – BayBuzz Magazine Christmas Issue 2022
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
Mills Reef Reserve Gimblett Gravels Merlot Malbec 2021
Mills Reef Reserve Gimblett Gravels Merlot Malbec 2021 $25 One thing will become super-obvious when inhaling the scent of this Bordeaux blend from Hawke’s Bay’s famous Gimblett Gravels region. Meatiness. It’s rich, savoury and roaring with roasting pan juices on the nose. Combine that with dark blueberry, plum, pepper and bay leaf layers, black olive … Read More
Pask Gimblett Gravels CMMF 2019
Pask Gimblett Gravels CMMF 2019 $22 Holy berries Batman! Those Paskers really know how to blend. This absolutely champion combination of Cabernet Sauvignon 43.8% Malbec 18.8%, Merlot 16%, Cabernet Franc 6.8% is super-stylish, spice-dusted and saturated with ripe plums, leather and cocoa layers and a dusting of liquorice. 2019 was a sensational vintage for Hawke’s … Read More