“Holy s**t!” were the exact words Rod McDonald’s wife Jo, when he rang her to tell her his Quarter Acre Hawke’s Bay Syrah had just been awarded the Trophy for the “Best International Syrah” at the prestigious International Wine Challenge in London. A clutch of the finest wine judges on the planet decided that his … Read More
Author: Yvonne
Dopff & Irion Cuvée René Dopff Alsace Riesling 2014 $22 (4.5 stars)
Here’s a definite new favourite for me, because I adore this style of riesling that’s packed with pure lime and green apple on the nose, crushed shells and wet stones. It’s a dry style, yet has some gloriously crunchy, natural sweetness allowing a round, citrus-focused mid-palate and a generously cleansing finish. Love it! www.wineseeker.co.nz
Saint Clair Pioneer Block 17 Plateau Gimblett Gravels Merlot 2014 $32.90 (5 stars)
Incredibly bright on the nose, bursting with ripe boysenberry, plum cherry and sweetly spiced, smoky notes. Here’s a deeply flavoured, rich and satisfyingly fruity, with layers of leather and cocoa carrying through to the finish. I love the refreshing, vibrant acidity and its gripping, yet supple tannins. It’s a very precise yet plush and generous … Read More
Saint Clair Pioneer Block 17 Plateau Gimblett Gravels Cabernet Merlot 2015 $37.90 (4.5 stars)
I love the lift of pepper, plum, cocoa and buckets of fruit cake spices this wine possesses. It’s beautifully balanced with smooth, cuddly undertones and elegant, finely-grained tannins. Fleshy, succulent and seriously good. Clearly the team at Saint Clair in Marlborough are now experts in dealing with smoulderingly good fruit from Hawke’s Bay’s Gimblett Gravels … Read More
Château Trébiac Graves Rouge 2011 $27.20 (3.5 stars)
‘Graves’ translates to ‘gravelly land’ in French, and here’s a blend of 30% cabernet sauvignon and 70% merlot from this important subregion of Bordeaux, located on the left bank of the Garonne river. It’s a medium-weight, savoury, soy and dark olive edged red with hints of prune, cocoa and smoke running through the middle. The … Read More
Dopff & Irion Alsace Edelzwicker $18 (3 stars)
The name ‘edelzwicker’ comes from the word ‘Zwicker’ which means ‘blend’ and ‘Edel’ which means ‘noble’. So essentially it’s a blend of noble varieties from Alsace, and that’s sylvaner, pinot blanc, riesling, muscat d’alsace, pinot gris, gewürztraminer, auxerrois and the Swiss grape chasselas. It’s a pretty crazy spectrum of flavours such as preserved lemon, rockmelon, … Read More
Wine column for week beginning Saturday May 13 2017
Back in the day there were set rules about pairing wine with food. For example, you never served red wine with white meat and you never served white wine with anything that used to have hooves. But those mantras harked back to a time when there simply wasn’t the smorgasbord of sensational wine now available … Read More
Canvas Column Saturday 20 May 2017
Today’s column is written especially for A.D. Kirby of Papamoa, who took the time to write two letters to the editor of this newspaper detailing his dislike of my wine descriptors. I’ve taken his feedback on board, tweaked my style and really hope the following reviews are more to his liking… Obikwa Merlot Shiraz … Read More
Tony Bish Heartwood Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2016 $35
The debut release this month from the chardonnay’s Commander in Chief is an exercise in pure balance and excess combined. My quest for excellent chardonnay is basically what gets me up in the morning, so the day after sipping this, I had a blissful, snorey, sleep-in. Fleshy, juicy, stonefruit notes combine with a whiff of … Read More
Murphy Goode California Chardonnay 2014 $25
Super-creamalicous on the nose and palate, this is classic California chardonnay from Santa Rosa that I’m sure will appeal to both mama’s and the papa’s and cool kids alike. Bursting with ultra-ripe peach, coconut, vanilla and layers of roasty-toasty almond, it’s also fresh, citrusy and a total trop-fest on the palate. Sip with: Baked, cornflake-coated … Read More