Little Wing Waiheke Island Marsanne 2019 $39.90 How could they resist the lure of a semi-abandoned, oceanfront vineyard on Waiheke Island? Young travelling winemakers Gillian and Gareth MacLachlan became obsessed with marsanne after working in the Northern Rhône in 2010 – and hoped to find the spot where they could (literally) put down roots back … Read More
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Bob short for Kate Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2019
Bob short for Kate Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2019 ($tbc) Well if you were amping to taste a feisty, frisky, fanging-with-flavour sauvignon blanc then this is the knees of the bees. Certified organic and created by sauvignon blanc master Ben Glover, Awash with lemon verbena, passionfruit and lime sorbet, peach and crushed basil brilliance, it’s a … Read More
Bob short for kate Organic Marlborough Pinot Noir 2019
Bob short for Kate Organic Marlborough Pinot Noir 2019 $tbc So your plan’s not cunning enough to pin a tail on and call it a weasel? Fret not. It’ll never measure up to Kate’s scheme of disguising herself as a boy and calling herself ‘Bob’ to become Lord Blackadder’s manservant and keep a roof over … Read More
Mr Glover Central Otago Pinot Noir 2018
Mr Glover Central Otago Pinot Noir 2018 $42 I’ve said it before, but in case you missed the memo, for professional pinot people, Ben Glover is about as top-of-the-tree as it gets in this country. With ‘chief winemaker’ titles from Wither Hills, Mud House and Zephyr, and a past Chair of Pinot Noir New Zealand, … Read More
Mr Glover Marlborough Chardonnay 2019
Mr Glover Marlborough Chardonnay 2019 ($27) This wine is exactly what I’m looking for in chardonnay. In terms of fruit concentration, it’s epic. In terms of oak-soaked tropicality, it’s epic. In terms of having peachy, shortcakey complexity and all the makings of being a bad boy in a bottle, it’s again, epic. Fresh acidity accentuates … Read More
Stonecroft Old Vine Gimblett Gravels Gewürztraminer 2019
Stonecroft Old Vine Gimblett Gravels Gewürztraminer 2019 $45 So I have no idea what religion you follow but I’m like, if you love the sun, or the soft or howling rain, or the laughter of children, or the ability to buy fruit, meat and vegetables, or the satisfaction of picking up a worm off the … Read More
Norman Hardie Unfiltered VQA Prince Edward County Pinot Noir 2016
Norman Hardie Unfiltered VQA Prince Edward County Pinot Noir 2016 ($60) Canadian pinot noir isn’t something we see in New Zealand very often (much like appropriate footwear and eye protection when mowing the lawns, the correct use of hair straighteners or affordable house painters). So I get a tad excited whenever one lands on my … Read More
Selaks 1934 Hawke’s Bay Rosé 2019
Selaks 1934 Hawke’s Bay Rosé 2019 $16.99 Reviewed in Canvas Magazine in the NZ Herald April 4 2020 and paired with Annabel Langbein’s Lamb and Chickpea Curry Well I’ll be fragrantly footstomped! Here we have a supertasty smorgasbord of 67% merlot, 29.5% sauvignon blanc, 1.3% pinot gris, 1.2% malbec, 0.7% cabernet sauvignon and 0.3% cabernet … Read More
Goshawk Estate Hawke’s Bay Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
Goshawk Estate Hawke’s Bay Cabernet Sauvignon 2018$poa Well well well. If I haven’t just managed to snaffle a bottle of the top-secret solo project from Mills Reef’s long-time, legendary winemaker, Paul Dawick. The name is taken from his mum’s maiden name (Drummond) and there happened to be a Goshawk bird attached to the coat of … Read More
Cypress Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2018
Cypress Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2018 $26 The 2018 vintage of what’s become a huge favourite of mine, is absolutely saturated with ripe plum, blackberry, blueberry and that all-important, syrah-staple, buckets of cracked pepper. There’s a lovely layer of charred oak, black olive and a sniff of soy, meaning its everything I’m looking for in great … Read More