This morning I woke up wearing just one sock. I know donning socks in bed is hardly a sexy thing, but it’s winter and it’s freezing, therefore I feel it’s perfectly acceptable. My husband An earnest search of the nooks and crannies of the bed turned up nix. Had it siezed its chance and fled … Read More
Author: Yvonne
Septima Mendoza Malbec 2014 $22 ★★★½
If you were thinking the national animal of Argentina was the llama you’d be wrong. It’s Bolivia’s. Argentina’s is the rufous hornero, or, as they say in the islands, the ‘red ovenbird’. But in my opinion their national animal should be Malbec. It might be a wine, but it’s muscular and meaty, furry around the edges, … Read More
Omaka Springs Single Vineyard Falveys Marlborough Chardonnay 2015 $19 ★★★★
Aromas of grilled pineapple, marshmallow and incredibly ripe nectarine merge with toasted coconut characters along a rich, tropical finish. Nine months maturing in French oak barrels has given the wine a slight ‘bacony’ flavour which I really love, making this little bit of magic from Marlborough deliciously complex and downright yummy (that’s a technical term … Read More
Terra Sancta Miro’s Block Central Otago Riesling 2014 $27 ★★★★½
If you only had just seven rows of ungrafted, old vine riesling struggling away on steep, hand-cut, schist terraces in the desert-like conditions of Bannockburn – it hardly seems worth the dollars and effort of trying to coax anything into a bottle. Yet winemaker Jodi Pagey and viticulturist Len Ibbotsen are diehard fans of the … Read More
Vasse Felix Filius Margaret River Cabernet Merlot 2014 $28 ★★★★
Vasse Felix was actually the very first vineyard and winery to be established in the Margaret River wine region of Western Australia, having been founded in 1967 by Dr Thomas Cullity. It’s a gorgeous Bordeaux blend where eucalypt and bay leaf notes cloak the dark berry intensity, cocoa, tar and tobacco aromas. The oak is … Read More
Maison Noire Hawke’s Bay Cabernet Sauvignon 2013 $22 ★★★★
Made by Frenchman Guillaume Thomas from his tiny vineyard on the Waimarama Road, this cabernet sauvignon has classic aromas of espresso residue (‘sprudge’ is the technical term – true fact) alongside exotic vanilla, pepper, mint and a lick of saddle leather. Fresh dark cherry and boysenberry provide the fruit concentration for this elegantly structured, inky-dark … Read More
Wine column week commencing July 23rd, 2016
For a good few years there, back in the 80’s and early 90’s, it felt like finding great cabernet sauvignon here in New Zealand was a bit like trying to find a decent pair of pantyhose. You know. Ones that didn’t roll down and pinch around your hips and bunch below the crutch when you … Read More
Hopes Grove Hawke’s Bay Silver Lining Syrah 2010 ★★★★
Deeply saturated, glossy and dark, here’s an intensely spicy syrah showing hints of smoke and leather. Six years in the bottle has borne violets, fresh pepper and gamey characters on the palate and a finish loaded with bay leaf, black tea and earthy cocoa characters. Grown in the limestone loveliness of Hawke’s Bay’s lesser-known sub-region … Read More
Bret Brothers Mâcon Uchizy Grand Vin de Bourgogne 2014 $43 ★★★★★
Some chardonnays erupt with x-factor for me and this is definitely one of them. I love the aromas of buttery, toasted crumpets, grilled grapefruit and spiced stonefruit alongside citrus concentration at its core which balances beautifully with subtle oak and luscious acidity. Crafted by the supremely talented Jean-Guillaume and Jean-Phillippe Bret from a tiny plot … Read More
Bald Hills Central Otago Riesling 2015 $28 ★★★★
Pete Bartle is the winemaker responsible for this bottle of tangy apple, lime and lemon verbena-laden lusciousness. There’s also a layer of crushed herbs and punchy tropical character which makes this a darn delicious wine to enjoy over a selection of spicy tapas or a feed of good, old-fashioned, lemony, salty fish and chips. Crisp, … Read More