As soon as you smell this wine you’ll have a throwback to some of those crazy, hybrid varieties of the 1980’s – toasty, creamy, hints of peach and lemon – pronounced ‘air-en-fel-zer’ is a German variety from the 1920’s and Lone Goat have got the only 1.2ha of the stuff in the ground here. Honey, … Read More
Author: Yvonne
Jip Jip Rocks Padthaway Shiraz 2015 $18.99 (4.5 stars)
It’s an absolute blackcurrant fest on the nose, blackcurrants marinating in a bowl made from eucalyptus leaves. Bright cherry and raspberry and boysenberry and practically every berry you can think of is in this wine. Pepper, refreshing acidity, furry tannins and fabulously warm, fuzzy length of flavour. It’s an elegant as opposed to sweet and … Read More
Yvonne Lorkin wine column for week beginning Saturday 11 Nov 2017
Great pinot noir is what I turn to when I need salvation from social media. When my Instagram feed becomes clogged with pictures of tanned, lycra-clad young things showing sneaky side-boob whilst doing yoga poses on clifftops and rocky outcrops with waves a-breaking or windswept beaches somewhere exotic and unaffordable. They have skinny arms, glossy … Read More
Quinta Da Romaneira Late Bottled Vintage LBV 2012 Unfiltered $54.90
This Late Bottled Vintage (LBV) is made from Tinta Roriz, Touriga Nacional, Touriga Francesca and Tina Cão grapes harvested in 2012. Then it spent around five years in oak cask before being bottled without filtration (to preserve the fruit intensity). I love the crazy walnut and blackcurrant aromas that wash into a rich, seriously spicy, … Read More
Quinta Da Romaneira 10 Year Old Tawny Port $64.90
Da Romaneira are one of the oldest Quintas in Portugals’ Douro Valley and this 10 YO Tawny is produced from a blend of old ports made from Tinta Roriz, Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca and Tinta Barroca that have an average age of 10 years before bottling. Russet-coloured, perfumed with caramelized raisin, roasted, nutty notes, dried … Read More
Yvonne Lorkin canvas column for Sat Nov 11 2017
You know the old saying, make sure you have a port in every girl… Quinta Da Romaneira 10 Year Old Tawny Port $64.90 Da Romaneira are one of the oldest Quintas in Portugals’ Douro Valley and this 10 YO Tawny is produced from a blend of old ports made from Tinta Roriz, Touriga Nacional, Touriga … Read More
Jacob’s Creek Le Petit Rosé 2017 $14.99 (3.5 stars)
Trina Smith is the rosé winemaker for Jacob’s Creek and she’s a massive fan of the clean, dry, zesty styles of the south of France. Using a combination of pinot noir, grenache and mataro (mourvedre), this is her take on a Provençale style. Crisp, racy and dry, with hints of raspberry, melon and cherry – … Read More
Easthope Te Muna Road Martinborough Pinot Noir 2014 $49.95 (4.5 stars)
Pinot noir from Catherine and Murray Mitchell’s vineyard on Te Muna Road has been carefully whole-bunch fermented to retain the natural sweetness and delicacy of the fruit and then gently pressed in a traditional basket press before being matured for ten months in French oak to inject delicious layers of smoke, spice and earth into … Read More
Famille Hugel Classic Pinot Gris 2015 $41 (4 stars)
The immediate punch-in-the-face of pear, green apple, quince paste in this brand new release of an Alsace icon will be something you’ll relish. Luscious and exotically spicy, with honeysuckle, fabulous fruit weight and delicious drive across the palate. 100% pinot gris grown in the Riquewihr district has produced a lovely example, which may have tiny … Read More
Sacred Hill Riflemans Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2016 $70 (4.5 stars)
The thing that I love about Riflemans chardonnay is that it doesn’t follow any model, any recipe. It’s simply the absolute best example that Sacred Hill can possibly produce, from the fruit sourced from the tiny, heritage, own-rooted Mendoza block high up on the chalky terraces of the Dartmoor Valley. Clean, precise grapefruit pith layers … Read More