Terra Sancta Lola’s Block Central Otago Pinot Gris 2016 $27.45 ★★★★½ Jody Pagey and Len Ibbotson are the winemaking and viticulture guru’s responsible for this luscious and tangy, southern star pinot gris. It’s a wine that seduced me from the get-go with its punchy nashi freshness and apple strudel spices. Rich and luscious and bursting … Read More
Author: Yvonne
Bisquertt Riserva Petirrojo Carménère
Bisquertt Riserva Petirrojo Carménère 2014 $18 Chilean’s had no idea why much of their merlot tasted so different to the rest until a canny Ampelographer (google it) came along and said “that’s because it’s carménère”. Previously one of the 6 varieties permitted in red Bordeaux, this Colchagua-grown example oozes black berryfruit, tobacco-box oak, dried herb … Read More
Bannock Brae Marlene’s Gruner Veltliner
Bannock Brae Marlene’s Central Otago Grüner Veltliner 2015 $25 Catherine and Crawford Brown have transformed a rabbit-ruined paddock into an award-winning vineyard that’s an oeno-nirvana of pinot noir, riesling and now Grüner Veltliner (Grooner-velt-leener). Bracing layers of acidity slice apart the white nectarine, lime and seashell notes of this wine. The signature white of Austria … Read More
Churton Marlborough Pinot Noir 2013
Churton Marlborough Pinot Noir 2013 $44 Biodynamic winegrowing is where the Weaver family of Waihopai Valley excel, so when the winemaker offers to show you his “poo pits” I suggest you accept with a smile because (weirdly) they’re actually rather inspiring. This pinot erupts with bright berries, tangy black tea and sweet dark fruit concentration. … Read More
Squawking Magpie The Gravels Syrah
Squawking Magpie The Gravels Syrah 2014 The impenetrable, inky-dark colour saturation is the first thing that gets you with this wine, it’s incredibly dense, dark, a stormcloud in a glass. Perfumed with blackcurrant, cherry and pepper-dusted damson plums, the nose is exciting , spice-driven and has smoke around the edges. Elegantly structured, the core … Read More
Squawking Magpie The Gravels Chardonnay
Squawking Magpie The Gravels Chardonnay 2015 $33.95 For starters I really love the slick new label design at play here, mysterious, brooding and very ‘magpie’. Here’s an incredibly ‘pure’ chardonnay that’s packed with tropical tang, so expect pineapple, nectarine and tangelo notes alongside honey-buttered cinnamon toast and creamy layers in the mid-palate. The acidity is … Read More
Canvas Column Sat 2 July 2016
Julia Child once said “I love to cook with wine. Sometimes I even put it in the food”. She also said “Every woman should own a blowtorch”. I miss Julia. Stonecroft Gimblett Gravels Gewürztraminer 2015 $25 This organically produced wine is golden and glossy in the glass and absolutely heaves with heady spices, musky pot … Read More
Wine & Food Matching Lorkin Style…
Wine and food matching. The fact that it’s even a thing is the relatively recent result of American neo-prohibitionists in1970’s demanding that if alcoholic beverages were to be served anywhere, then suitable food needed to be provided. So canny restaurateurs clicked rather quickly that if you’re going to do it, do it well and put … Read More
Eradus Marlborough Pinot Noir
Eradus Marlborough Pinot Noir $18 Bold, fruity aromas of black guava, black tea and layers of black forrest all burst from the glass in this tasty new favourite of mine. Lush, gently juicy, red fruits like raspberry, cherry and pomegranate tumble forth into a soft, yet zesty young pinot which boasts a gamey, savoury finish. … Read More
Neudorf Rosie’s Block Nelson Chardonnay
Neudorf Rosie’s Block Nelson Chardonnay 2015 $33 ★★★★ Five different clones were hand harvested, fermented with wild yeasts and blended to create this buttered-crumpet-smelling chardonnay, which quickly unveils a backbone of grilled nectarine and grapefruit pith alongside deliciously textural, creamy almond characters in the mid palate. It’s a juicy, cheek-puckering style that pretty much makes … Read More