As I write this, a clutch of businesses on the street where my office is located, are preparing for our annual street Christmas party. Five bucks and BYO nibbles is all we needed to bring apparently. Due to this column deadline, I have not had time to go out and get ‘nibbly-fied’ – so to … Read More
Author: Yvonne
Heron’s Flight Matakana Amphora Sangiovese 2016 $120
Tiny amounts of handpicked sangiovese were fermented wild on their skins inside 500 litre clay amphorae for six months then rested another 6 months in traditional terracotta vessels before being transferred to this gorgeous wax-sealed bottle. Naturally handled with no additional sulphites, it’s exceptionally delicious. Bright, vibrant, dark fruit, floral intensity and buckets of pepper, … Read More
Silver Wing Nada Preservative Free Waipara Syrah Rosé 2017 $27
Here’s a rosé made from 100% handpicked, whole bunch pressed syrah from Andrew Fox’s vineyard, where it’s fermented with wild yeasts and spends 5 months in barrel to introduce extra complexity. A portion of original juice was snap-frozen at pressing and then added back to the wine at bottling to kickstart a second ferment in … Read More
Yvonne Lorkin Canvas Column for Sat Dec 9 2017
You make me feel like a natural woman… Silver Wing Nada Preservative Free Waipara Syrah Rosé 2017 $27 Here’s a rosé made from 100% handpicked, whole bunch pressed syrah from Andrew Fox’s vineyard, where it’s fermented with wild yeasts and spends 5 months in barrel to introduce extra complexity. A portion of original juice was … Read More
Clos Marguerite Marlborough Pinot Noir 2012 $46 (4 stars)
Perfumed with baked plum and cherry notes, it also boasts soft, savoury, creamy layers on the palate. Named after Marguerite, winemaker Jean-Charles’ wife, this pinot noir is much like her, complex, delicate and yet boasts lovely depth of character. It’s a lovely example that’s maturing nicely and would be amazing with spicy, red curry duck. … Read More
Astrolabe Kekerengu Coast Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2016 $25 (4 stars)
Simon Waghorn and his wife Jane founded Astrolabe back in 1996 and over the following 21 years, his sauvignon blanc’s have become the stuff of legend. Kekerengu is so far south, it’s almost in Kaikoura, and it’s also the Maori name given to the bull kelp which grows along the rocky coastline. Waghorn even once … Read More
Buller Wines Calliope Rutherglen Shiraz 2010 $49.99 (5 stars)
With its intensely concentrated, ripe red fruits, Christmas pudding spices and masses of cherry and blackcurrant flavours, this shiraz had me swooning. Seven years since vintage and the acidity is incredibly fresh and juicy, while the tannins are deliciously dusty and have lovely grip. Made from century-old vines, this Aussie beauty is named after the … Read More
Craggy Range Gimblett Gravels Le Sol Syrah 2015 $135 (5stars)
Let’s cut straight to it. This is a magical monster of a wine and it’s only created in years when the fruit is exceptional – which is not good if you have OCD, but great if you worship gorgeous syrah at the highest level. Perfumed with peppercorn, violets, dark berryfruit and dried herbs, with a … Read More
Sacred Hill Brokenstone 2015 $42.99 (5 stars)
With a name taken from an old Sacred Hill vineyard known as ‘stoney broke’, the Brokenstone is now considered one of New Zealand’s most iconic merlot-based reds. The 2015 is a blend of merlot, malbec, syrah, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc and it’s absolutely sensational. Matured for 19 months in French oak, layers of cedar, … Read More
Yvonne Lorkin Wine Column for week beginning Sat 2nd Dec 2017
Get yourself a gravelly gift… For the last eight years, the members of Hawke’s Bay’s Gimblett Gravels Winegrowers Association have submitted their wines to an internationally respected Master of Wine to be assessed. The aim is to find, on a vintage by vintage basis, the wines which best represent a given year. Only twelve can … Read More