Published NZ Herald Sat 28 Nov 2015
Make this the weekend you step sideways from commercial brands and dive into something on the boutique side of the bed. These will have you walking the stride of pride the next day…
Collaboration Aurulent Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2013 $35
Hawke’s Bay-based winemaker Julianne (Julz) Brogden is serious talent when it comes to making wine, yet it’s in her chardonnay that she really shines. Named after the colour of gold, this hand-picked, barrel-fermented baby crafted from the Mendoza clone, has incredibly intense aromas of grilled lemon, pineapple, roast stonefruit and grapefruit. It bursts with juicy intensity in the mouth, yet all that citrus has a spiderweb of seasoned, spicy oak and a seam of buttery complexity reining it all in. This is a chardonnay with density and structure, tension and poise and a deliciously smoky finish. For stockists enquire at www.dnfinewine.com
Whistling Buoy Canterbury Pinot Noir Rosé 2015 $25
Crafted from fruit grown in a gobsmackinly gorgeous Banks Peninsula vineyard overlooking Charteris Bay, this has super-pretty, coral-pink colour and punchy-fresh berries, cherry and raspberry sorbet aromas which all soak through to the palate to create a taut, tangy, lipsmacking freshness on the finish. It’s an excellent example that even the most hardened, anti-rosé ratbags should try really need to try. It’s dry, has some meat on its bones and rocks with watermelon, feta and ripped mint salad. www.whistlingbuoy.co.nz
Paritua Vineyards ‘Grace’ Hawke’s Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2013 $35
If you’re looking for sauvignon that gives you something seriously different, something WAY less aggressive than the super-green, squint-factor-fifty examples which often personify the classic kiwi style – then give this puppy a crack. Crafted in a ‘Graves’ style (the region in Bordeaux famed for its deep, gravelly, quartz-pocketed soils), by winemaker Jason Stent, this complex, crushed nettles, lime, guava, basil and white peach packed sauvignon has undergone 60% wild ferment and then been aged for 10 months in 50% old oak puncheons (large 500l barrels). “We made it like a chardonnay” he says – “it’s a sauvignon for chardonnay lovers”. www.paritua.com
