Maison Noire Hawke’s Bay Arneis 2020 $22 Guillaume Thomas has been crafting some of the best local Arneis I’ve ever tasted, and clearly this Italian variety (nicknamed Little Rascal due to its fussy, tricky nature) thrives in the lime and clay soils of his tiny vineyard on the Waimarama Road. Crammed with creamy nectarine, peach … Read More
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Drummond Farm Martinborough Pinot Gris 2018
Drummond Farm Martinborough Pinot Gris 2018 $24 Alex Muir and Leah Creaven are the forces behind Martinborough’s newest splash in the wine pond and they’re determined to educate people that it’s what’s NOT in the bottle that makes it distinctive. Produced at a positively demure 9.5% alcohol and showing clean, lightly-styled, apple and greengage plum … Read More
Drummond Farm Martinborough Sauvignon Blanc 2019
Drummond Farm Martinborough Sauvignon Blanc 2019 $20.40 I tasted this wine as a cleanskin sample and it was a roasty, toasty example packed solid with stonefruit tones and showing a creamy complexity on the finish. Punchy and slightly wild at heart, its a ripe, rumpty style that has loads of potential. Very food-friendly too. Soft … Read More
Zephyr Marlborough Chardonnay 2019
Zephyr Marlborough Chardonnay 2019 $31.99 This bright like a yellow diamond 2019 release is one that any chardonnay fan will enjoy I’m sure. That’s because it’s just darn yummy, beautifully balanced, fat and juicy, with a bit of smokiness, ripe grapefruit flavours and buckets of baked nectarine and creamy, crushed almond, characters. There’s a lovely … Read More
Pegasus Bay Prima Donna Waipara Pinot Noir 2010
Pegasus Bay Prima Donna Waipara Pinot Noir 2010 $120 Ivan Donaldson planted the first vineyard in Canterbury back in 1976, ten years later, together with his wife Christine, he established Pegasus Bay. Today all four of their sons and two spouses are all involved in the business and it’s fair rocketing along. Prima Donna is … Read More
Pegasus Bay Aged Release Waipara Pinot Noir 2010
Pegasus Bay Aged Release Waipara Pinot Noir 2010 $65 Back in 2006 the Donaldson family of Pegasus Bay began witholding stock and stashing it away to sleep quietly for at least a decade before being released again to the public. Now it’s time for those 2010’s to really show us what they’re made of. Their … Read More
O:TU Marlborough Pinot Noir 2013
O:TU Marlborough Pinot Noir 2013 (price tbc) Seven years down the track this Marlborough pinot noir is morphing into the tertiary flavour spectrum, leather, espresso, dried herb and gravy boat notes. Soft, smooth and savoury, it’s still drinking nicely. http://www.otuwine.com
Trinity Hill Homage Syrah 2018
Trinity Hill Homage Syrah 2018 $150 THE TECHNICAL: This is the new vintage release of one of New Zealand’s most sought-after syrah’s. Produced only in years when the fruit is exceptional, the 2018 Homage was crafted from 99.6% syrah and 0.4% viognier hand-harvested from three different Gimblett Gravels sites including 70% Gimblett Estate, 19% Tin … Read More
Paulownia Estate Wairarapa Riesling 2014
Paulownia Estate Wairarapa Riesling 2014 $18 Golden in the glass and showing some classic dry riesling aromatics of apple and lime, toast and honey, however, it’s begun to lose its mid-palate freshness. Broadening out in the mouth, unfortunately. It’s an ok thing to drink, but sadly not as vibrant as I’m sure it once was. … Read More
Paulownia Estate Wairarapa Riesling 2015
Paulownia Estate Wairarapa Riesling 2015 $20 Fans of riesling that rolls on the dry side of the disco floor need to hurtle on over to the glass cabinet and pour themselves a splash of this asap. With classic lime and creamed honey notes on the nose, on the palate it becomes lovely and lean and … Read More