Bald Hills Friends & Lovers Single Vineyard Bannockburn Central Otago Rosé 2020 $30 Pretty apricot-blush coloured in the glass, this deliciously dry style crafted from handpicked pinot noir, has classic watermelon and red apple aromatics colliding with a hint of creaming soda and soft spices on the palate. Cleansing, crunchy-crisp, yet generously proportioned, it’s an … Read More
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Blackenbrook Family Reserve Nelson Gewürztraminer 2019
Blackenbrook Family Reserve Nelson Gewürztraminer 2019 $30 The thing I love about this wine is its cool, calm mood. Unlike a lot of gewürztraminer styles that are all jazz hands and stage voice, brash, blousy and wearing way too much perfume. This new release rolls out subtle ginger, rosewater and musky spices on the nose … Read More
Forrest Marlborough Albariño 2021
Forrest Marlborough Albariño 2021 $28 While albariño (al-bar-een-yo) might be more famous in its Galician homeland in northwestern Spain, it’s clearly settled and thriving nicely under Marlborough’s baking Southern Valleys sun. Erupting with fresh apple blossom, lemon zest and peachy aromatics and washing waves of whipcrack acidity around the gums and nashi and lime across … Read More
Monowai Hawke’s Bay Merlot 2020
Monowai Hawke’s Bay Merlot 2020 $24.99 Softly spiced, perfumed with plum, light liquorice and a dusting of cocoa, it’s a velvety-smooth, refreshingly ripe style of merlot from the Matapiro region west of Hastings. Slinky and slightly smoky, it’s a satisfyingly juicy sip. Monowai
Monowai Upper Reaches Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2020
Monowai Upper Reaches Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2020 $35 Aromas of baked peach, cashew butter and creme caramel collide with slightly scorched toast, a lick of grapefruit, pineapple and layers of butterscotch complexity. It’s a refreshingly silky thing to sip, with nicely balanced acidity and alcohol and a long, creamy, classic finish. Round, ripe and soothing … Read More
Pikes The Merle Clare Valley Riesling 2018
Pikes The Merle Clare Valley Riesling 2018 $39.99 Wow – this iconic South Australian riesling is whipcrack dry, snappy, crunchy and loaded with lime on the nose and palate. Laced with green apple and masses of crushed shell minerality, it’s a style that Pikes have perfected to the point that this is now one of … Read More
Monowai Upper Reaches Hawke’s Bay Merlot 2020
Monowai Upper Reaches Hawke’s Bay Merlot 2020 $26 Well well well. Straight out the gate, I’m calling this the best merlot I’ve ever tasted from Hawke’s Bay’s Matapiro subregion. Clearly the grape gods were shining down on husband and wife winegrowing team Emma Lowe and Marcelo Nunez in 2020, because those vines have produced a … Read More
Koerner Clare Valley The Clare 2020
Koerner Clare Valley The Clare 2020 $48 Hands up if you’ve ever tasted a blend of 51% cabernet sauvignon, 15% cabernet franc, 12% malbec, 12% grenache, 9% carignan and 1% sciacarello. No? Me neither. From the evil genius brothers, Damon and Jono Koerner (winners of the 2019 Young Gun of Wine award) comes this sultry, … Read More
Nivarius Rioja Tempranillo Blanco 2019
Nivarius Rioja Tempranillo Blanco 2019 $22.99 Nivarius is the only winery in the Rioja that focuses on white wines crafted from indigenous varieties and that’s a great thing because I sure as heck haven’t tasted much in the way of tempranillo blanco and this is really exciting. Loaded with green apple, quartzy minerality, white pepper … Read More
Chard Farm River Run Central Otago Pinot Noir 2019
Chard Farm River Run Central Otago Pinot Noir 2019 $34 The Hay family’s River Run vineyards which supply the fruit for this wine are located in Gibbston Valley and in the Cromwell Basin, and in 2019 they sure as heck produced incredibly smart, incredibly pure grapes for this glorious thing. Glossy and gorgeous in the … Read More