Vidal Soler Gimblett Gravels Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 $34.99 Do you know what? I’ve been pacing, literally pacing around waiting for the new Soler cabernet to cross my desk. The wait was worth it. Bursting with black guava, blueberry, dark cherry, bay leaf, dark cocoa and liquorice layers, it’s supremely elegant, freshly structured and seriously frisky. … Read More
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Maison Noire Hawke’s Bay Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
Maison Noire Hawke’s Bay Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 $28 Winemaker Guillaume Thomas managed to secure cabernet sauvignon fruit exclusively from the famous Gimblett Gravels district for the 2018 vintage, and egads and forsooth! Has it made a difference! His style is still typically super-elegant and smooth (and that’s just his hairstyle and dress sense) yet the … Read More
Coxhead Creek Matakana Chardonnay 2019
Coxhead Creek Matakana Chardonnay 2019 $29 With aromas and flavours of toasted marshmallow, almond meal, roast stonefruit and toasted coconut, this bottle of Northland niceness has definitely wowed me! Mouthfilling and juicy, yet elegant and statuesque, it’s a beautifully balanced chardonnay that’ll have you wondering why the bottle went so fast. 2019 is proving to … Read More
Eaton Marlborough Merlot Malbec Cabernet Sauvignon 2015
Eaton Marlborough Merlot Malbec Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 $48 Cool-climate elegance all the way here with Mike Eaton’s new 85:10:5 blend sourced from tiny parcels of fruit gathered from secret-squirrel plots across the region. Seasoned leather, blueberry, graphite, blackcurrant, and pepper push their way across the palate. The tannins are fine-grained, deliciously dusty, and as per … Read More
Eaton Marlborough Merlot Malbec Cabernet 2014
Eaton Marlborough Merlot Malbec Cabernet 2014 $48 Straight out, I’ll say this 85/10/5 blend (created by Mike Eaton) may need decanting as it’s un-fined and unfiltered and natural sediment and tartrate crystals (or ‘wine diamonds’) may appear. This means all the natural anise, blueberry, pine needle, white pepper, sweet vanilla and smoke notes shine through. … Read More
Eaton The Bench Blend Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2017
Eaton The Bench Blend Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2017 $39.99 Sourced from Mike Eaton’s Thistle Hill and Saint Luke’s vineyards in the Awatere Valley and more southern Flaxbourne sub-regions, this sauvignon dances the Maxina around the mouth, tripping across lemongrass, watercress, white nectarine, and fresh-cut lawns of loveliness. Mike has created something incredibly fresh and complex … Read More
Eaton Thistle Hill Single Vineyard Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2017
Eaton Thistle Hill Single Vineyard Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2017 $64 The Thistle Hill Vineyard is owned by the Hickman family, who planted it on their ‘Taimate’ Angus stud farm, located a 30-minute drive south of Blenheim. Soon after planting, it became very clear that the farm’s sunbaked soils signified manna from heaven for sauvignon blanc. … Read More
Eaton Fortissimo Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2018
Eaton Fortissimo Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2018 $48 Google says ‘fortissimo’ means ‘loud,’ yet this sensational take on sauvignon by Mike Eaton is soft and quietly sexy. Marzipan and citrus marshmallow notes on the nose lead to delicious complexity from a full malolactic fermentation and extended aging in older Tonnellerie-Ermitage barrels. Unfined and unfiltered, it may … Read More
Eaton Flaxbourne Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2018
Eaton Flaxbourne Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2018 $31-$48 Prepare for a hit of marzipan and preserved lemon on your lips as soon as you raise your glass facewards. Sourced from Mike Eaton’s Breezemere and Thistle Hill vineyards located in the Flaxbourne region of Marlborough’s Awatere Valley, this sauvignon also shows his signature pillowy, creamy texture and … Read More
Pask Declaration Gimblett Gravels Cabernet Merlot Malbec 2014
Pask Declaration Gimblett Gravels Cabernet Merlot Malbec 2014 $50 (not yet released) Inky dark and oozing that gorgeous menthol, bay and concentrated boysenberry notes that give me the cabernet-dominant goosebumps, this classic blend cries out to be sipped and savoured over a slab of steak or a Lada-full of slow-cooked lentils, or a mountainous plate … Read More