Tony Bish Fat & Sassy Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2022 $22 Pronounced nectarine and lemon notes on the nose lead to a palate awash with stonefruit and preserved lemon layers wrapped around a sawdusty, toasty core. If ‘fatness’ to you means ‘creaminess’ then that’s not what you’ll receive, but if you’re a fan of toasty, spicy … Read More
Author: Yvonne
Omata Estate Bay of Islands Pinot Gris 2023
Omata Estate Bay of Islands Pinot Gris 2023 $32 Northland has so much talent on the pinot gris front and Omata are literally in the front row doing jazz hands. Their Russell-grown new release bursts with classic nashi, beeswax and quince characters dusted with white pepper. All that good stuff saturates through to the palate … Read More
Te Kairanga WPF Martinborough Pinot Noir 2020
Te Kairanga WPF Martinborough Pinot Noir 2020 $175 Created by long-time winemaker John Kavanagh and his team as a tribute to William Patrick Foley (or Bill Foley to his mates) the owner of Te Kairanga and head of the Foley Family Wines group. Using only their best Abel clone fruit, this pinot has huge aromatic … Read More
Mt Difficulty Ghost Town Lowburn Valley Chardonnay 2019
Mt Difficulty Ghost Town Lowburn Valley Chardonnay 2019 $33-$43 Gorgeously golden in the glass and glowing with cashew and grilled peach aromas, this chardonnay has a beautifully edgy energy to it. Named after the deserted relics of the goldmining era dotted around Central Otago’s river valleys, this wine washes gold across the nose and palate. … Read More
Riverby Estate Marlborough Chardonnay 2021
Riverby Estate Marlborough Chardonnay 2021 $28 Deeply golden in the glass and groaning with toasty, roasty, peachy goodness in the glass. Classic baked apple, grilled citrus and stonefruit notes wash across the nose and palate, hints of pineapple wrap around a core of caramelised oak to create a super-fresh impression. Bright, energetic and a joy … Read More
Brookfields Sun-Dried Hawke’s Bay Malbec 2022
Brookfields Sun-Dried Hawke’s Bay Malbec 2022 $26 Winemaker Peter Roberston and his team hand-harvest their malbec and then lay the grapes out on racks to partially dry in the sun, much like the Italian appassimento technique to concentrate the flavours and accentuate the rich, fruity aromatics. The nose reveals rich, blueberry, boysenberry, cocoa and liquorice … Read More
Maison Noire Hawke’s Bay Cabernet Franc 2022
Maison Noire Hawke’s Bay Cabernet Franc 2022 $35 Cabernet franc is a rare thing to see on its own here in New Zealand, so it’s exciting whenever I see one, particularly one from one of the tiniest vineyards in Hawke’s Bay. Very new and youthfully fresh, it boasts a huge lift of bay leaf, blackcurrant, … Read More
Maison Noire Home Block Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2021
Maison Noire Home Block Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2021 $70 The ‘Home Block’ for Maison Noire’s winemaker Guillaume Thomas, is a tiny, 1.5ha vineyard growing on limestone laden soils on the winding road out to Waimarama Beach. Just 80 cases of this syrah was made, so it’s super-limited, but super-tasty. Inky-dark and glossily gorgeous, and boasts … Read More
Zephyr Organic Marlborough Riesling 2022
Zephyr Organic Marlborough Riesling 2022 $28 Ben Glover, winemaker at Zephyr, has an unslakeable thirst for great riesling, which is why he pours his heart and soul into every bottle he makes. He also pours buckets of pixie dust and secret magic and sparkly starlight in there as well. The result is a classically dry … Read More
Brookfields Back Block Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2022
Brookfields Back Block Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2022 $22 From a challenging vintage comes a highly approachable, friendly, softly fruited, softly peppered syrah grown at Ohiti on the banks of the Ngaruroro River. Classic florals and blackcurrant characters lead to iron sands tannins and a suede-like mid-palate texture and finish. Brookfields