This is the very first time I’ve tasted anything made from the Frappato grape, and it’s a revelation. COS, is a fully biodynamic, ‘natural’ wine producer in Sicily, named after the surnames of the three founders, friends Giambattista Cilia, Giusto Occhipinti and Pinuccia Strano and launched in 1980. It is “pregno” with plush raspberry, cherry, … Read More
Author: Yvonne
Crown Range Cellar China Girl Central Otago Pinot Noir 2014 $64.90
Handpicked fruit from the Chinamans’ Terrace Vineyard in Bendigo has been crafted by pinot-guru Grant Taylor into a delicate and highly floral wine with clove and cherry characters on the nose and a rich, juicy and youthful palate boasting hints of dried herbs and charred tree bark on the finish. Created to celebrate the hardworking … Read More
Canvas column week commencing 26th November, 2016
This week I’m unveiling a seriously tasty trinity hailing from New Zealand, Italy and Germany. So enjoy, salute and prost the weekend away… Crown Range Cellar China Girl Central Otago Pinot Noir 2014 $64.90 Handpicked fruit from the Chinamans’ Terrace Vineyard in Bendigo has been crafted by pinot-guru Grant Taylor into a delicate and highly … Read More
Mt. Beautiful Cheviot Hills Pinot Noir 2014 $33
Gorgeous aromas of tamarillo, rooibos tea, craisins and fresh cherry wash across the nose and tastebuds. Cheviot is the sleepy little North Canterbury enclave responsible for this juicy, softly spiced and rather succulent pinot noir, and it even has a hint of red rose and raspberry on the finish. It’s perfumed, plush and seductive. Sip … Read More
Greystone Waipara Chardonnay 2015 $39.00
It’s been 11 years since the Thomas family first put vines in the ground at Greystone and then harvested for this vintage. The chardonnay is now really hitting its straps. Rich and golden in the glass and smelling of, oh lord, just the most delicious melange of almond biscuits rubbed with grapefruit pith and dipped … Read More
Mahi Ward Farm Marlborough Pinot Gris 2015 $29.90
Mahi’s Brian Bicknell is the happiest man in all of Marlborough. I say this because I’ve never seen him without a massive grin on his face. But what’s not to smile about when your wines turn out like this. Sourced from a vineyard in Ward, a small community 8km from the sea just south of … Read More
Canvas column week commencing 3rd Dec, 2016
The earthquake and aftershocks which struck Kaikoura and its surrounds have made doing business a tad tricky for some southern wineries. These three have vineyards right in the shake zone… Mahi Ward Farm Marlborough Pinot Gris 2015 $29.90 Mahi’s Brian Bicknell is the happiest man in all of Marlborough. I say this because I’ve never … Read More
Framingham Marlborough Chardonnay 2015 $25
For the longest time I was such a vehement fan of Framingham’s rieslings that I forgot they were brilliant at producing pretty much every other variety under the sun too. Take this chardonnay for example. Gorgeous grapefruit, pineapple and peach layers buoy a backbone of creamy, brulee, cashew and panforte characters on the palate. Grown … Read More
Matahiwi Estate Wairarapa Chardonnay 2016 $23
I really love the bang and citrus tang of this wine. With nectarine and grapefruity intensity on the nose, and a squeak of smoke on the finish. Fresh, taut and citrusy, it’s exactly my kind of chardonnay. High winds around flowering time across the Wairarapa naturally keeping the yields in check, meaning those vines pour … Read More
Chard Farm Judge & Jury Central Otago Chardonnay 2015 $39
Most people carefully pick their way along the vertigo-inducing driveway leading to Chard Farm, praying for a punch-in-the-face pinot noir to calm their nerves. Whereas I think the perilous journey is more than well-rewarded with this outstanding chardonnay instead. Grown on their Lowburn vineyard, the fruit produces a solid mineral and spice backbone to stitch … Read More