Bald Hills Last Light Central Otago Riesling 2020 $30 Paired with Annabel Langbein’s Kedgeree in NZ Herald Canvas Aug 20 2022. If Pete Bartle ever makes a riesling that isn’t exceptionally balanced and beautiful, then stick a fork in me, ‘cos I’m done. Sourced from Bald Hills’ Bannockburn site, the single hectare of vines that … Read More
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Valli Waitaki North Otago Pinot Noir 2020
Valli Waitaki North Otago Pinot Noir 2020 $85 Winemaker Jen Parr has crafted a complex and earthy pinot from fruit grown in one of the most challenging climates in the country. So the grapes that do make it through the extremes of the season are incredibly concentrated and create wines that roar with tamarillo, plum, … Read More
Valli Bendigo Vineyard Central Otago Pinot Noir 2020
Valli Bendigo Vineyard Central Otago Pinot Noir 2020 $75 With aromas that remind me of the lush, leafy, mossy scent of walking through native bush after it’s rained, this pinot is awash with forest floor earthiness, black tea, tamarillo and concentrated cherry characters. Bright, fleshy, energetic and stylishly crafted, it’s delicious in its youth and … Read More
Abbey Estate Bridge Pa Hawke’s Bay Viognier 2021
Abbey Estate Bridge Pa Hawke’s Bay Viognier 2021 $25 Back in 2002 when Feilding dairy farmer Warren Haworth reached 50, he decided to reward himself and his wife Jan with a new life in Hawke’s Bay making wine. A new life of backbreaking work, little reward and even less sleep. But today, with the help … Read More
Alpha Domus Beatrix Hawke’s Bay Sparkling Rosé NV
Alpha Domus Beatrix Hawke’s Bay Sparkling Rosé NV $21 I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. If you’re nuts about all things rose-gold, then this super-pretty sparkler will deliver you directly to the sanatorium and, because it’s fizzy, then it could completely send you sideways. Crafted (unusually) from merlot by winemaker Barry Riwai, … Read More
Valli Gibbston Vineyard Central Otago Pinot Noir 2020
Valli Gibbston Vineyard Central Otago Pinot Noir 2020 $75 Glossy and garnet-hued in the glass, it’s bursting with exotic florals, black guava, pepper and red apple notes, while on the palate, it’s energetic yet silky-textured, spice-saturated and and showing incredible grace and poise. It has a seamless structure, soothing, slippery, yet clinging to every cell … Read More
Richmond Plains Organic Nelson Sauvignon Blanc 2021
Richmond Plains Organic Nelson Sauvignon Blanc 2021 $22 I’m loving that this sauvignon is subtle and softly herbaceous on the nose (tomato leaf and basil anyone?) and gently zesty on the palate rather than punching you in the face with those boring, blousy-sweet passionfruit and lemonade layers that many commercial examples flout. I’m now also … Read More
Wairiki Wines The Optimist Hawke’s Bay Pinot Noir 2020
Wairiki Wines The Optimist Hawke’s Bay Pinot Noir 2020 $25 I’d like to think I’m an optimist, but comparing my annual school photos, you can see me becoming an adult via the gradual draining of emotion in my expression. Thank heaven for the baked strawberry notes, earthy plushness, slightly foxy aromas, tweaks of tamarillo, and … Read More
St Huberts The Stag Victoria Tempranillo Shiraz 2020
St Huberts The Stag Victoria Tempranillo Shiraz 2020 $19.99 Inky-dark and glossy, this pepper-stacked sip is bursting with dark cocoa, liquorice, prunes, blackberry and cherry notes which roll across the tongue in tsunamis of taut tannins and fantastically fleshy textures. If you’re having lasagne, there’s also nothing better than a hearty, knee-wobblingly ribsticking red like … Read More
The Black Grape Society Central Otago Pinot Noir 2019
The Black Grape Society Central Otago Pinot Noir 2019 $29 Paired with: Mushroom And Pumpkin Lasagne in NZ Herald Canvas Magazine August 13 2022 Six months in older oak barrels has given this pinot noir a gentle, smoky tone which wraps around a soft, savoury, mushroomy mid-palate and a backbone of bright berries, wild cherries … Read More