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
Author: Yvonne
Churton The Abyss Marlborough Pinot Noir 2017
Churton The Abyss Marlborough Pinot Noir 2017 $75 The Abyss is the highest altitude block of this organic and biodynamic producer in Marlborough’s Waihopai Valley. Backing onto a precipitous cliff, it’s also home to Churton’s oldest vines, which grow bunches exposed to the easterly sun, creating fruit with complexity and coolness. Hints of musk, wild … Read More
Maison Noire Hawke’s Bay Cabernet Franc 2015
Maison Noire Hawke’s Bay Cabernet Franc 2015 $25 Cabernet Franc is just the sexiest wee red grape, and yet it’s very rarely made into wine on its own. Crafted by Guillaume Thomas from his tiny vineyard on the Waimarama Road, this new 2015 vintage is ultra-floral and rock-solid with spices and racy, raspberry/cranberry characters. The … Read More
Church Road TOM release 2019
In a new move, the release of arguably one of New Zealand’s most aristocratic range of wines has taken on a new timeframe. Church Road TOM is a tribute to Tom McDonald (1907-1987), a visionary winemaker who devoted his life to producing outstanding wines at Church Road Winery (formerly known as McWilliams Wines) in Hawke’s … Read More
Mahurangi River Winery Field of Grace Reserve Matakana Chardonnay 2014
Mahurangi River Winery Field of Grace Reserve Matakana Chardonnay 2014 $54 Incredibly glossy and golden when poured, this chardonnay from a tiny corner of Matakana is absolutely roaring into life after sitting quietly for a couple of years just building its confidence and character. Complex smoke and toast notes merge with roast stonefruit, lemon pith … Read More
Te Awanga Estate One Off Underground Organic Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2018
Te Awanga Estate One Off Underground Organic Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2018 $33 Grown out in the rocky soils of what the locals call ‘the RD9’ (or Maraekakaho to the townies), this organic chardonnay comes courtesy of the skilled winemaking wizardry of Rod McDonald. Wait. How rocky are the soils I hear you ask? Ok. So … Read More
Maison Noire Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2018
Maison Noire Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2018 $25 With its nectarine and peachy creaminess and with cashew characters abound, this new chardonnay from Guillaume Thomas has got instant crowd-appeal. Richly structured, but showing fresh, frisky acidity, it’s a juicy, easy drink with solid stonefruit complexity on the mid-palate and finish. www.maisonnoire.nz
Main Divide North Canterbury Gewürztraminer 2018
Main Divide North Canterbury Gewürztraminer 2018 $20.99 This has got to be one of the best value gewürztraminers in the country. That Mat Donaldson and his team at Pegasus Bay are able to pack so many luxurious layers of flavour into one tiny bottle for twenty dollars (and often discounted to lesss) is absolutely beyond … Read More
Churton Marlborough Viognier 2016
Churton Marlborough Viognier 2016 $37 The thing that winemaker Sam Weaver absolutely nails with this wine, is the acidity. Viognier is notoriously difficult to achieve freshness and balance in, because its a grape that naturally wants to increase its sugar holdings during ripening and couldn’t give a fig about retaining acidity. So the trick is … Read More
Brown Brothers Patricia Noble Riesling 2014
Brown Brothers Patricia Noble King Valley Riesling 2014 $27 Even if you were somehow blind to the bling on the label (gold medals for Africa here) you’d know as soon as you took your first sip of the Brown Brothers Patricia Noble King Valley Riesling 2014 ($27) that it is astonishingly tasty. That’s because for … Read More