Coopers Creek Select Vineyards Gimblett Gravels Hawke’s Bay Merlot Malbec 2015

September 13, 2019By Yvonne

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

Leveret Estate Library Edition Hawke’s Bay Merlot Cabernet 2009

July 18, 2019By Yvonne

Leveret Estate Library Edition Hawke’s Bay Merlot Cabernet 2009 $28 It’s not every day that you get to taste newly-released library stock of a ten-year-old merlot cabernet blend, and I’ll tell you this for a dollar.  It’s pretty much vanilla and prune-infused perfection in a glass. Softly-styled and oozing into the bricky-red colour spectrum, it’s … Read More

Taiao Reserve Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Franc Malbec 2015

July 17, 2019By Yvonne

Taiao Reserve Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Franc Malbec 2015 $49.95 So deliciously decked out with dark chocolate, cherry, plum and soft pepper on the nose and palate, this exceptional wine from the Bridge Pa Triangle Winegrowing District has a deep, dark, smouldering personality, liquorice-licked layers of complexity in its statuesque structure.  Earthy, wild at heart … Read More

Hãhã Hawke’s Bay Merlot 2018

July 2, 2019By Yvonne

Hãhã Hawke’s Bay Merlot 2018 $18 This new release is a super-smashable red that sings plum, plum and more plum!  Warm and cuddly in the mouth, it coats the palate with cocoa and spice and slips down far too easily.  Edged with pepper, the tannins are soft and woolly, yet add a hint of chew … Read More

Alpha Domus Special Reserve ‘The Aviator’ Hawke’s Bay 2016

May 25, 2019By Yvonne

Alpha Domus Special Reserve ‘The Aviator’ Hawke’s Bay 2016 $69 This is the flagship Bordeaux blend for the Alpha Domus team led by winemaker Barry Riwai, and this vintage is a blend dominated by cabernet sauvignon that’s boosted by cabernet frand, merlot and malbec from the famous, iron-rich, red gravels of the Bridge Pa Triangle … Read More

McPherson Family Vineyards The Angus Merlot 2017

May 17, 2019By Yvonne

McPherson Family Vineyards The Angus Merlot 2017 $22.99 Great merlot from Australia is something that I don’t get to experience very often (and that’s no fault of anyone- it’s just that I don’t actually ‘see’ them)  This merlot from Mcpherson is some next level lovely.  Scented with saddle leather and a smorgasbord of spices and … Read More

Saint Clair Origin Hawke’s Bay Merlot 2017

April 26, 2019By Yvonne

Saint Clair Origin Hawke’s Bay Merlot 2017 $22 Kick off your shoes, put your MC Hammer pants on and do a happy dance. This juicy, Gimblett Gravels-grown merlot is seriously floral on the nose and resplendent (now that’s a word) with raspberry, liquorice, spiced plum, and chocolate layers’ that lead to a long, fresh finish. … Read More

Mills Reef Reserve Gimblett Gravels Cabernet Merlot 2017

October 8, 2018By Yvonne

Mills Reef Reserve Gimblett Gravels Cabernet Merlot 2017 $24  Bold, juicy and ready for action, this velvety-smooth red has cocoa, dark cherry, plum and peppery warmth on the palate.  It’s fleshy, beautifully textured and fabulous with moussaka. www.millsreef.co.nz  

Parcelle Merlot 2011

July 18, 2018By Yvonne

Parcelle Merlot 2011 $25 Between the Garonne and Dordogne rivers lies Bordeaux’s Entre-Deux-Mers region. The ancient Romans began crafting wine there over 2000 years ago – so it’s fair to say there’s much skill and experience at play in this part of the wine world. The vines here are trained low to absorb the heat … Read More