Folding Hill Bendigo Central Otago Chardonnay 2021 $32 I’m telling you right now, the vertigo-inducingly steep, sun-baked slopes of the zero-humidity sub-region of Bendigo is my new chardonnay spot to watch. While Tim Kerruish, his wife Nikki and their Folding Hill team are new to chardonnay, (their first vintage was the 2020) this second vintage … Read More
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Maison Noire Reserve Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2022
Maison Noire Reserve Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2022 $35 Glossy-dark and inky in the glass, this new syrah from winemaker Guillaume Thomas has a distinct, pepper-soaked sarsparilla note on the nose, with black guava, tea leaf and tamarillo characters sashaying their way nostrilward also. To taste, it’s incredibly fresh and youthful, stitched together with peppercorn and … Read More
Maison Noire Hawke’s Bay Rosé 2023
Maison Noire Hawke’s Bay Rosé 2023 $24 Using 100% cabernet franc grapes grown in his home block high on the Waimarama Road behind Hawke’s Bays Te Mata Peak, Guillaume Thomas has fashioned a crunchy-crisp rosé that’s easy on the eye, but injects zing and ping into to the palate. Red apple and wild raspberry aromas … Read More
Maison Noire Hawke’s Bay Puketapu Chardonnay 2022
Maison Noire Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay Puketapu 2022 $35 Sourced from the Puketapu (sacred hill) subregion of Hawke’s Bay inland west of Napier, winemaker Guillaume Thomas has opted to create a creamy, barrel-fermented, 12-month barrel-aged style that will please anyone partial to a twang of buttered toast in their glass. Grilled stonefruit, a splash of creamed … Read More
Maison Noire Hawke’s Bay Chenin Blanc 2023
Maison Noire Hawke’s Bay Chenin Blanc 2023 $24 It’d make perfect sense for Chenin Blanc to be Guillaume Thomas’ favourite white wine seeing as its a signature grape of the Loire and Guillaume also happens to be a signature child of the same place. Contrary to much of the chenin grown in New Zealand (and … Read More
Brookfields Highland Hawke’s Bay Merlot 2021
Brookfields Highland Hawke’s Bay Merlot 2021 $46 Owner and winemaker Peter Robertson has been making wine in Hawke’s Bay since the mid-1970s and when you’re in Hawke’s Bay for that long, you get to know Merlot incredibly well. In fact, Hawke’s Bay’s wine powers that be were considering dubbing the region “Hawke’s Bay, Merlot Country” … Read More
Tony Bish Fat & Sassy Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2022
Tony Bish Fat & Sassy Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2022 $22 Pronounced nectarine and lemon notes on the nose lead to a palate awash with stonefruit and preserved lemon layers wrapped around a sawdusty, toasty core. If ‘fatness’ to you means ‘creaminess’ then that’s not what you’ll receive, but if you’re a fan of toasty, spicy … Read More
Omata Estate Bay of Islands Pinot Gris 2023
Omata Estate Bay of Islands Pinot Gris 2023 $32 Northland has so much talent on the pinot gris front and Omata are literally in the front row doing jazz hands. Their Russell-grown new release bursts with classic nashi, beeswax and quince characters dusted with white pepper. All that good stuff saturates through to the palate … Read More
Te Kairanga WPF Martinborough Pinot Noir 2020
Te Kairanga WPF Martinborough Pinot Noir 2020 $175 Created by long-time winemaker John Kavanagh and his team as a tribute to William Patrick Foley (or Bill Foley to his mates) the owner of Te Kairanga and head of the Foley Family Wines group. Using only their best Abel clone fruit, this pinot has huge aromatic … Read More
Mt Difficulty Ghost Town Lowburn Valley Chardonnay 2019
Mt Difficulty Ghost Town Lowburn Valley Chardonnay 2019 $33-$43 Gorgeously golden in the glass and glowing with cashew and grilled peach aromas, this chardonnay has a beautifully edgy energy to it. Named after the deserted relics of the goldmining era dotted around Central Otago’s river valleys, this wine washes gold across the nose and palate. … Read More