Pegasus Bay Waipara Valley Merlot Cabernet 2019 $34 Three years on from harvest and this soothing, saucy Bordeaux-style blend is soothing, lithe, cocoa and coffee-edged. A saucy blend of merlot, cabernet sauvignon, malbec and cabernet franc, it was aged in French oak for 18 months (25% of the barrels were new) which encouraged the wine … Read More
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Piwakawaka Gisborne Viognier 2020
Piwakawaka Gisborne Viognier 2020 $25-$28 It’s tricky striking the balance between fruit sweetness and acid tension, but Kristin and Steve Parkes reckon they’ve cracked it. They were landed with 2ha of viognier in front of a home they’d bought back in 2013 and that catapulted them into the crazy world of winegrowing. The grapes are … Read More
Valli Waitaki Vineyard North Otago Pinot Gris 2021
Valli Waitaki Vineyard North Otago Pinot Gris 2021 $34.50 White gold and gleaming in the glass, this snappy-fresh pinot gris has green pear, baked apple, tweaks of ginger, spice and white peach. Crafted by Jen Parr, it’s an intense style, with slight herbaceous notes, white pepper and a complex, dry. slightly saline mouthfeel. Valli Wine
Monowai Hawke’s Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2022
Monowai Hawke’s Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2022 $24.99 Emma Lowe and her husband Marcello are the super-talented duo who craft this crisp, clean, troptastic sauvignon blanc in their small but perfectly formed winery waaay out on Matapiro Road in Hawke’s Bay’s Crownthorpe district. The stones are so big in the vineyards out there, the locals call … Read More
Te Mata Elston Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2020
Te Mata Elston Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2020 $37-$43 There’s a reason why 2020 will go down as one of the greatest Hawke’s Bay vintages of the century. Not just that somehow during a nationwide lockdown and under incredibly tricky, worker safety conditions, did the wines even get made – but the ripening season was a … Read More
Matahiwi Wild Holly Wairarapa Pinot Noir 2021
Matahiwi Wild Holly Wairarapa Pinot Noir 2021 $35-$44 Crafted by winemaker Liam Macklin*, this wild and woolly pinot has had 3 weeks on skins to extract colour and texture and then aged for 14 months in French oak to inject some smoky tones and according to Liam, it was created with “No additives, no fining, … Read More
Tiki Waipara Riesling 2018
Tiki Waipara Riesling 2018 $23 Royce McKean ditched the corporate grind for a new life in wine after almost meeting his maker. Caught in an avalanche while skiing, he decided during recovery that he wanted to be more connected to the land — and this is the result. Sweet and beeswaxy, heaving with apple, honeysuckle … Read More
Tiki Waiata Vineyard North Canterbury Pinot Noir Rosé 2021
Tiki Waiata Vineyard North Canterbury Pinot Noir Rosé 2021 $18 If you were expecting a soft, light, simple rosé then you’ll be wanting to do a u-turn and zoom on out of the cul-de-sac because this wine is bursting with apple, peach and cherry characters, brisk acidity and boasts a generously dry finish. It’s appropriate … Read More
Tiki Single Vineyard North Canterbury Pinot Noir 2020
Tiki Single Vineyard North Canterbury Pinot Noir 2020 ($25) An excellent-value pinot noir that’s crammed with cherry and tamarillo tastiness. Smooth and soothing to sip, it shows subtle smoke notes from its well-handled oak maturation and it’s edged with soft mushroom and dried herb characters which add complexity to the mid-palate and elongate the finish. … Read More
Abbey Estate Medium-Dry Bridge Pa Hawke’s Bay Riesling 2020
Abbey Estate Medium-Dry Bridge Pa Hawke’s Bay Riesling 2020 $20 This riesling is an excellent example of balance between acidity, natural sweetness, purity of fruit, and alcohol. Erupting with lime, mandarin, and awesome appletastic flavours, this Bridge Pa-grown beauty has tongue-adhesive textures that elongate the length of flavour, um, elongatingly. I also love how the … Read More