Hoppers Crossing Reserve Central Otago Pinot Noir 2018 (tank sample) Lush, plush and nicely structured, needs a tiny bit of settling and red berries (wild strawberry, cherry, redcurrant,) decent tannins, fruit concentration and spice. Long finish. Good stuff. very drinkable.
Uncategorized
Mahi Marlborough Chardonnay 2017
Mahi Marlborough Chardonnay 2017 $29 Blended from four vineyards from the western end of the Wairau Valley after a long, dry summer, the Mahi Marlborough Chardonnay 2017 ($29) is a funk-laced, stonefruit-soaked, toasty, smoky sip. Crafted using only free-run juice and left to ferment wild, with no additions, before maturing in barrel for 11 months, … Read More
Petane Station Hau Hau Block Hawke’s Bay Pinot Gris 2018
Petane Station Hau Hau Block Hawke’s Bay Pinot Gris 2018 $27 This tiny estate located out Eskdale-way, manages to turn out pinot gris that’s consistently mammoth in the personality-stakes. With its new vintage offering a creamy, apple pie and cashew character on the nose, followed by a poached quince and roast pear punch on the … Read More
Bodegas Piqueras Valcanto Almansa Syrah 2014
Bodegas Piqueras Valcanto Almansa Syrah 2014 ($15.95) A soft, easy, super-fruity syrah like this is just the ticket for a soothing sip to serve with anything meaty and spicy. This Spanish smooth-talker adds berries and spice and all things nice to anyone who prefers blueberry and leather notes in their syrah and less of the … Read More
Squawking Magpie The Chatterer Hawke’s Bay Pinot Gris 2018
Squawking Magpie The Chatterer Hawke’s Bay Pinot Gris 2018 $19.95 This is one of my sure-fire, never-fail, no-hold-barred, people pleasing pinot gris choices. There’s a ripeness and robustness in the Squawking Magpie style that promotes a pear, quince and quick-fix of spiced apple awesome into every sip. It’s crisp, clean, cranking with honeysuckle and heaving … Read More
Lowburn Ferry Central Otago Pinot Noir 2016
Lowburn Ferry Central Otago Pinot Noir 2016 $50 Stuffed with cranberry, redcurrant, rosehip tea, succulent acidity, slippery lithe mouthfeel, warming, luscious, lovely and spicy and velvety. It’s a classic, old vines, Central Otago style that works beautifully with roast beetroot soup and anything game-related. It’s a juicy, spice-centric style that’s created from fruit grown by … Read More
Te Kairanga Runholder Martinborough Pinot Noir 2017
Te Kairanga Runholder Martinborough Pinot Noir 2017 $28 I think this could very well be my favourite vintage of Runholder. Plush, lush and packed with flavour, it roars with cherry, cranberry, rosehip tea and layers of earthy cocoa characters on the palate. While it’s slippery and silky to sip, it also has powdery, emery-like tannings … Read More
Tinpot Hut Marlborough Late Harvest Riesling 2017
Tinpot Hut Marlborough Late Harvest Riesling 2017 $28 Winemaker Fiona Turner has worked her magic on this stylishly sticky, sweet wine that carries candied citrus, toffee apple and heavenly honey notes on the nose and palate. Fresh and flirtatious, it’s seriously sweet, yet finely tuned and beautifully balanced. Great stuff! www.tinpothut.co.nz
Caythorpe Family Estate Marlborough Pinot Noir 2017
Caythorpe Family Estate Marlborough Pinot Noir 2017 $24.99 From the Bishell family farm comes a shiny new vintage of pinot noir that definitely leans on the lighter side of the fence. Scented with raspberry, cranberry, strawberry and pretty much every other red fruit imaginable, this wine shows softness, silkiness and a dangerously easy, eensy-weensy-spicy finish. … Read More
Chardonnay Lovers Ahoy!
Chardonnay Comeback Oh chardonnay – it’s so lovely to see you back! A couple of decades ago New Zealand’s chardonnay-scape was almost a no-mans land. After the ABC (Anything But Chardonnay) club had declared the bold, fat, super-oaky, buttery examples we’d been served since the 70’s decidedly unfashionable, it basically became the corduroy of wine. … Read More