Mt Difficulty Ghost Town Lowburn Valley Chardonnay 2020 $39 Crafted from small parcels of fruit sourced from Mt D’s Lowburn vineyards, this glossily golden chardonnay roars with roast nectarine, grilled grapefruit, buckets of toasted almonds, creamy complexity and bursts of buttery goodness. Beautifully balanced, nougat-nuanced oak notes combine with refreshing acidity and “drink me” personality … Read More
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Soljans Barrique Reserve Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2021
Soljans Barrique Reserve Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2021 $34 Bright and energetically spicy, this has classic Hawske’s Bay pepper, violet and plum signatures and boasts a smooth, soothing, savoury core. 2021 was a cracker of a vintage in Hawke’s Bay and this Syrah fits very nicely into that reputation. Juicy, refreshing and long on flavour. Soljans
Rockburn Central Otago Pinot Noir 2023
Rockburn Central Otago Pinot Noir 2023 $42 Fruit harvested from Rockburn’s Gibbston Valley Back Road vineyard and their Parkburn vineyard has been shepherded from berry to bottle by winemaker Malcolm Rees-Francis, and every sip contains his signature, gum-tingling style. Prepare for baked rhubarb, dark cherry, 5-spice, black tea and redcurrant characters to wash across your … Read More
Garo’vin Lulu Berlue Loire Valley Rouge 2022
Garo’vin Lulu Berlue Loire Valley Rouge 2022 $41 This blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon 30% Cabernet Franc and 20% Grolleau from the Loire Valley has a feral wildness about it which will appeal to anyone that hankers for dusty, earthy complexity in their wines, wines with walnutty, flavours, wines which challenge the norm. Vegetal, funky … Read More
Soljan’s Kumeu Pinot Gris 2024
Soljan’s Kumeu Pinot Gris 2024 $25 Ah, West Auckland. Holdens, leggings, Jim Beam singlets, dreamcatchers, roll-your-owns, beers from a crate, and AC/DC on high rotation. What’s not to love? It also has vineyards growing glorious pinot gris plush with nashi, nutmeg, pear, and perky crabapple notes alongside super-fresh textures. The team at Soljans has been … Read More
Mazuran’s Directors Hawke’s Bay Shiraz 2020
Mazuran’s Directors Hawke’s Bay Shiraz 2020 $85 Softly styled and moving into its maturing years, this shiraz/syrah shows classic blackcurrant, plum and green peppercorn characters on the nose and smoky, spiced cherry characters on the palate. Slightly short, however there’s a leather-like layer developing in the mid-palate which accentuates its earthy finish. Mazurans
Moko Hills Bendigo Pinot Noir 2022
Moko Hills Bendigo Pinot Noir 2022 $59 Donald van der Westhuizen clearly has Pinot Noir roaring through his veins as evidenced by his eking out bottles of brilliance from the schisty slopes of Bendigo. His 2022 vintage is unfined, unfiltered and scented with smoked cherry, freshly sliced rhubarb, white pepper and sous bois sensations (which … Read More
Mazuran’s The Governor’s Cellar Gisborne Blanc de Blanc NV
Mazuran’s The Governor’s Cellar Gisborne Blanc de Blanc Chardonnay NV $65 Gisborne is New Zealand’s spiritual home for Chardonnay, meaning it’s also the home of the base wine for countless kiwi sparkling styles. This is a wine maturing into its lemon pith and brazil-nut spectrum. Very golden in the glass and travelling into its tertiary … Read More
Jules Taylor Marlborough Pinot Gris 2024
Jules Taylor Marlborough Pinot Gris 2024 $22 Classically structured style here from an absolute guru of gris. On the nose there’s a subtle lift of persimmon, nashi, white pepper, soft peach, apple and a lick of feijoa – all of which osmose onto the palate leaving a fresh, energetic impression and a general “oh yum”. … Read More
Martinborough Vineyard Home Block Martinborough Chardonnay 2021
Martinborough Vineyard Home Block Martinborough Chardonnay 2021 $39 Re-tasting this two years after release, all I can say is that if you have this in your cellar, see it on a wine list or discover a bottle hidden away on a shop shelf then dive in!! Oh lord, today this wine is overdelivering in every … Read More