Wynns The Siding Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 $22 Right in the heart of Coonawarra, the skinny, sausage-shaped piece of iron-rich, red soils from where some of Australia’s greatest cabernet sauvignon-based wines are grown, is Wynns Estate. Not far from the historic estate and winery (founded in 1891 is an old railway siding, which served as … Read More
Author: Yvonne
Porters Estate Martinborough Pinot Noir 2017
Porters Estate Martinborough Pinot Noir 2017 $45 Winemaker and ferociously competitive lawyer John Porter, has managed to cram a shed tonne of spice-soaked fruit into his wine, and that puts me firmly in my happy place pinot-wise. He doesn’t accept average and neither do you I suspect. Deceptively pale in colour (pinot noir doesn’t need … Read More
Kererū by Porters Martinborough Pinot Noir 2018
Kererū by Porters Martinborough Pinot Noir 2018 $35 Proprietor John Porter is a hands-on winegrower and winemaker when he’s not at his legal firm in Wellington. He and his wife planted 6.4ha of vines in 1992 and designed their ‘Kererū’ label to accelerate awareness of their native bush restoration initiative. Kererū is the Māori name … Read More
Bald Hills Single Vineyard Central Otago Pinot Noir 2017
Bald Hills Single Vineyard Central Otago Pinot Noir 2017 $45.99 Five years on from vintage, and this Central Otago star is finally confident enough to start putting its head above the fence to yell, ‘Yoo-hoo, boys!’ With seductive spices on the nose, wild rhubarb and tamarillo notes on the palate, and a warming, savoury, sandy … Read More
McArthur Ridge Southern Tor Central Otago Pinot Noir 2020
McArthur Ridge Southern Tor Central Otago Pinot Noir 2020 $39 Gold Medal – Decanter World Wine Awards Gold Medal & Trophy Winner at International Wine Challenge 2022 Gold Medal & Champion Pinot Noir Trophy NZ International Wine Show If you’re looking for a Central Otago pinot noir with both depth, intensity and also playful perkiness … Read More
McArthur Ridge Falls Dam Central Otago Pinot Gris 2021
McArthur Ridge Falls Dam Central Otago Pinot Gris 2021 $24.99 Re-tasted Feb 3rd 2023 – evolving exceptionally well Alexandra’s extreme seasonal climate fluctuations keep the vines on their toes, turning out finely-tuned pinot gris with great tension and concentration. Nashi notes merge with fresh apple and yellow, Mirabelle plum plushness, frisky acidity and excellent length … Read More
McArthur Ridge Lilico Central Otago Pinot Noir Rosé 2021
McArthur Ridge Lilico Central Otago Pinot Noir Rosé 2021 $24.99 Crafted from fruit grown in soils known as the Brassknocker Alluvial Gravels, this rich, peachy, creaming soda and cherry-stacked rosé is an absolute Alexandra star. Morganite-hued, beautifully balanced, and substantial in its concentrated fruit spine and ribs of spiced citrus, this is a take-no-prisoners style … Read More
Squawking Magpie Gravels Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2020
Squawking Magpie Gravels Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2020 ($25tbc) Glossy garnet coloured and inky in the glass, scented with bouquet-garni and bay alongside ripe berries and plum complexity. 2020 was a stunning year for syrah in Hawke’s Bay and the team at Squawking Magpie are guns when it comes to maximising every opportunity where great fruit … Read More
Kokako Farms Awen Ohiti Valley Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2019
Kokako Farms Awen Ohiti Valley Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2019 $55 Winemaker Bruce Nimon has crafted a beautifully toasty, citrus-centric superstar chardonnay right here. A wine absolutely bursting with stylish stonefruit and showing exactly why the Ohiti Valley is one of the most exciting subregions in the Bay. True finesse and showing a textural mid-palate with … Read More
Pegasus Bay Waipara Chardonnay 2019
Pegasus Bay Waipara Chardonnay 2019 $44 Who needs the Commonwealth Games when you’ve already got a glass full of gold right here? An absolute Southern icon chardonnay, this wine roars with smoked apricot and juicy nectarine niceness while the palate is generously layered with stonefruit and grapefruit intensity. It’s beautifully balanced, and boasts slightly charred … Read More