Domaine Denis Carre La Perriere Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Beaune 2019 $45.99 With tamarillo, black tea, wild cherry and redcurrant characters, it’s a silky-smooth, spice-saturated style with heightened finesse and finely-tuned tannins to boot. Beautifully balanced acidity and cherry cola complexity add to its all-around excellence. What’s also excellent is the story. Denis Carré wasn’t … Read More
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Domain Road Central Otago Pinot Noir 2019
Domain Road Central Otago Pinot Noir 2019 $40 In 2002 Graeme Crosbie planted his Domain Road vineyard just minutes from an old miners’ hut on the banks of Duffer’s Creek that he used to camp in. Since then, each year, he’s created vibrant, spice-saturated pinots that I’ve loved. Yet 2019 was different. Pristine weather combined … Read More
McArthur Ridge Brass Knocker Central Otago Pinot Noir 2020
McArthur Ridge Brass Knocker Central Otago Pinot Noir 2020 $21.50 Highly aromatic, heaving with bright tamarillo, wild cherry and redcurrant characters, it’s ultra-floral, spice-driven and youthfully fresh. The tannins are lithe, powdery and terrifically textural and it’s showing extensive, impressive length of flavour. Packed with flavour and personality, it’s gotta take a gong as one … Read More
Penfolds Grange 2017
Penfolds Grange 2017 $850 This is the 70th anniversary of one of the most famous wines in the world, an Australian treasure and in the words of Peter Gago, its custodian, it’s an example of “sticks and stones filtration” rather than anything manufactured or synthesised. It’s also only the 7th Grange to be comprised of … Read More
Trinity Hill 125 Gimblett Chardonnay 2020
Trinity Hill 125 Gimblett Chardonnay 2020 $80 Crafted from fruit grown at their Tin Shed vineyard at 125 Gimblett Road, this chardonnay is supremely elegant. Boasting an aromatic hit of smoked almonds, caramelised oak, buttered cinnamon toast, grilled grapefruit and baked nectarine, it’s intoxicating from the first whiff. All those characters osmose onto the palate … Read More
Village Vineyards Havelock North Chardonnay 2020
Village Vineyards Havelock North Chardonnay 2020 $30 The Evans family recently took over what was Red Barrel wines (which, before that was Zeppelin Wines) and their first, own-made chardonnay is light, citrus-stacked and suitably toasty. Grown on their home vineyard on Te Mata Road, the handpicked fruit was whole bunch pressed then fermented in old … Read More
Scout Central Otago Pinot Gris 2021
Scout Central Otago Pinot Gris 2021 $27 Woah Nelly!! Here’s a richly-crafted, spice-driven pinot gris that takes no prisoners in the taste stakes. Dry, lengthy and boosted with baked apple and anise characters, it’s a bold, full-bodied gris with a tweak of guava on the finish. I love how generous and toasty in the mid-palate … Read More
Gibson Bridge Reserve Marlborough Gewürztraminer 2016
Gibson Bridge Reserve Marlborough Gewürztraminer 2016 $30 Five years on from vintage and this wine is maturing into something you’d definitely want to take out to dinner and maybe invite back to yours for a nightcap and some Netflix. Quite the opposite of those blousy, sweet, commercial styles – this one is musky-dry and spliced … Read More
Gibson Bridge Marlborough Pinot Gris Rosé 2020
Gibson Bridge Marlborough Pinot Gris Rosé 2020 $28 Crafted from the tiny, 6ha vineyard owned by Julie and Howard Simmonds, the pinky-grey skins of pinot gris grapes have allowed the colour of this wine to take on its soft, coral colour. Don’t expect your conventional nashi pear, peach and apple characters of commercial pinot gris … Read More
Gibson Bridge Celebration Méthode Traditionelle Marlborough Pinot Gris Rosé Zero Dosage 2020
Gibson Bridge Celebration Méthode Traditionelle Marlborough Pinot Gris Rosé Zero Dosage 2020 $56 Fans of super-dry sparkling wine with a yeasty, nutty kick will lean toward this style for sure. No sugar was added after the secondary ferment and disgorgement stage of this wine, and that differentiates it from the clear bottle version in that … Read More