Schist Hills Old Vines Central Otago Gewürztraminer 2014 $18.99 I love how the 2014 vintage has a different spectrum of spice than the 2013, yet it still flashes the Schisty signature of peach, lychee and ginger. Sourced from John and Christine Rasmussen’s Black Ridge vineyard, (where Alexandra’s oldest gewürztraminer vines grow), it flaunts layers of generosity … Read More
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Charcoal Gully Late Harvest Central Otago Gewürztraminer 2014
Charcoal Gully Late Harvest Central Otago Gewürztraminer 2014 $30 Gewürztraminer crafted in a late harvest style is a rare thing, so whenever one slinks its way across my desk I tend to get a tad excited. Hand-harvested six weeks after their initial harvest, gave the fruit time to slightly raisin and concentrate the flavours to … Read More
Charcoal Gully Sally’s Pinch Central Otago Gewürztraminer 2014
Charcoal Gully Sally’s Pinch Central Otago Gewürztraminer 2014 $21 At Charcoal Gully, they hold their wines back until Pete Bartle, the winemaker, feels they’ve had enough bottle age to be ready for release and your ultimate drinking pleasure. Six years on, this is perfectly packed with all that good stuff that I love in gewürztraminer … Read More
Tantalus Hawke’s Bay Rosé 2018
Tantalus Hawke’s Bay Rosé 2018 $39 While Tantalus are one of THE places to be and be seen on Waiheke Island, their winemaking team like to mix things up a tad, of an occasion, when the opportunity presents itself. They’ve managed to secure fruit from one of their trusted vineyards in Hawke’s Bay and created … Read More
Ash Ridge Estate Hawke’s Bay Pinot Gris 2019
Ash Ridge Estate Hawke’s Bay Pinot Gris 2019 $22 No joke, when this wine was poured for me, the glass was over a metre away and as the wine sloshed from the bottle, the space between me and it was filled with a cloud of apple pie intensity. Bright, ripe fruit, baking spices, pear and … Read More
Maison Noire Home Block Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2018
Maison Noire Home Block Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2018 $35 Grown on the limestone-laden soils of the Waimarama Road, this syrah has its own distinct personality and it’s not a massively peppery one. Flying in the face of what we consider ‘classic’ Hawke’s Bay syrah, the Home Block is intensely floral and fruit-driven, laced with baking … Read More
Vidal Soler Gimblett Gravels Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
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
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