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
Author: Yvonne
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
Anthony Joseph Vidal 1888 Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2014 $120 (5 stars)
The rumours were out that winemaker Hugh Crichton was planning to release something epic in the Vidal chardonnay stakes, and lordy, they were right. From the most glorious chardonnay vintage Hawke’s Bay has seen in a stretch, comes a formidably gorgeous wine scented with popcorn, gunflint and grilled grapefruit and offering gracefully ripe, roasted stonefruit, … Read More
Yvonne Lorkin wine column for week beginning Sat Nov 4 2017
Almost on the daily I’m asked about whether I think chardonnay is making a comeback. To which I usually snort, roll my eyes and spit “Comeback? Comeback? It never went away!” However that’s because I’m irrationally defensive about chardonnay, I love it so much. The versions of chardonnay that are on trend at any given … Read More
Mud House Woolshed Vineyard Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2017 $22
Mud House’s winemaker Cleighten Cornelius is obsessed with the fruit from their Woolshed vineyard, one sip of this and you’ll see why. Planted 15 years ago in the Southern Valleys by Nev Gane (great name), the resulting sauvignon is packed with punchy passionfruit and lime, boasts a deliciously fleshy texture and bursts with buckets of … Read More
Cloudy Bay Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2017 $32
Lucky Aucklanders can sip this snazzy new release at the Cloudy Bay ‘Sail Away’ pop-up dining experience at Prego during November. Everyone else will have to trust me when I say that the CB crew have injected zesty herbaceousness, plucky passionfruit and citrus friskiness into this iconic sauvignon blanc. Lime, basil and a squeak of … Read More