Zaria Hawke’s Bay Malbec Rosé 2020 $21 Whenever Bryce Edmonds at Zaria releases a new vintage rosé I’m all over it like an Augustine kimono (particularly if said kimono was in this outrageously pretty ruby hue). Made from Malbec grown in the deep, red gravels of the Bridge Pa Triangle, this new release screams style … Read More
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On Giants’ Shoulders Martinborough Chardonnay 2018
On Giants’ Shoulders Martinborough Chardonnay 2018 $40 Hands up if you just feel like sipping on a slippery, softly-styled, elegant-as-all-getout chardonnay that doesn’t leave you scraping the sawdust and butterscotch out of your mouth after every sip? This 2018 vintage from Braden and Gabrielle Crosby’s tiny, non-irrigated vineyard in Martinborough is wild-fermented, supremely smooth, styled … Read More
Coxhead Creek Matakana Verdelho 2020
Coxhead Creek Matakana Verdelho 2020 $25 I love the lifted apple and peach aromatics on this little lovely from Michael Lorimer’s Matakana vineyard, and I love even more the fact that it’s Verdelho! Yay! Verdelho is a VERY rare grape on our shores, which is a shame because it absolutely roars when planted in the … Read More
Coxhead Creek Matakana Rosé 2020
Coxhead Creek Matakana Rosé 2020 $25 How gorgeously pretty is this wine! You’re looking at it right? So perfectly pale, this rosé is made from cabernet franc grown by Michael Lorimer. Cabernet Franc classically adds fullness, volume, and delicately sweet red fruit notes to any wine, so when it’s crafted into a rosé, it’s a … Read More
Yealands Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2020
Yealands Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2020 $14.99 Prepare for a hit of passionfruit, lemon verbena, crushed basil and white pepper up your passages as soon as the first glass is poured. Crisp, ultra zesty, lemon and lime notes leap out and wash across the palate. It’s a citrus-forward, nicely balanced, refreshing and juicy wine that’ll wow … Read More
Yealands Reserve Awatere Valley Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2020
Yealands Reserve Awatere Valley Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2020 $18.99 Marlborough’s Awatere Valley is famous for turning out sauvignon blanc saturated with high-toned florals, intense minerality, lemongrassy goodness and buckets of green herbs on the nose and palate. This wine is swollen with sensationally sweaty characters, tomato stalk zinginess and a whole potager garden of herbaceousness. … Read More
Pegasus Bay Vergence White MK1 NV
Pegasus Bay Vergence White MK1 NV $27 I love that on the back label they’ve stated “Wine made under this label will first and foremost be delicious…” and lo, it doth occurreth. This multi-vintage thing of beauty is mostly made of old vine Semillon, blended with Muscat, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Gewürztraminer and Chardonnay and it’s … Read More
Whitehaven Marlborough Pinot Noir 2018
Whitehaven Marlborough Pinot Noir 2018 $35 Whenever the folk at Whitehaven release a new vintage pinot noir I’m all over it like an Augustine kimono. Handpicked fruit from a blend of Southern Valley’s and Awatere Valley vineyards has been put to excellent use in a pinot noir oozing cherry and raspberry and lithe, leather-licked layers … Read More
Flaxmore Nelson Pinot Noir 2018
Flaxmore Nelson Pinot Noir 2018 $27 Lightly coloured but bright and showing slighty dusty, dried herb notes on the nose which merge with cola and black tea as they lean into the palate. The acidity is upfront and fresh yet the finish has a meaty, savoury character to it. Lightly styled and suited to short … Read More
Flaxmore Nelson Rosé 2019
Flaxmore Nelson Rosé 2019 $19.99 Wow! Some more commercial, supermarket-style pinot noir rosés are overly fruity, sweet and lack any sort of tension and tautness. Not this one however. With a Provençal-like pluckiness, deliciously dry textures and a creaming-soda complexity on the finish. There’s a whiff of wild strawberry and a whomp of quartzy minerality … Read More