Bargylus Grand Vin de Syrie 2013 $(tbc) The World’s Most Dangerous Wine… Syrian wine is finally available in New Zealand, but our little country only gets 168 bottles and it has a heck of a job getting here. The Domaine de Bargylus winery is unluckily situated in Syria’s civil war zone. Bargylus (located in Latakia, … Read More
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The Hunting Lodge Home Block Waimauku Chardonnay 2019
The Hunting Lodge Home Block Waimauku Chardonnay 2019 $64 Grown on the Waimauku Clays, half an hour or so’s drive out west of the Auckland CBD on the Northwestern motorway, Chief Winemaker Pete Turner has been carefully watching over their 80acre estate to finally decide if and when it’d produce chardonnay worthy of their flagship … Read More
Ruby Bay Nelson Syrah 2019
Ruby Bay Nelson Syrah 2019 $39.99 Huge pepper on the nose and some good floral notes but the acidity is very high and a touch thin, however that may smooth out over time. It definitely opens up and softens slightly in the glass after a few good swirls. Very pretty garnet colour and fine-grained tannins. … Read More
Framingham F Series Marlborough Pinot Noir 2019
Framingham F Series Marlborough Pinot Noir 2019 $40 You can’t have a conversation about Marlborough pinot noir without devoting an unseemly amount of time to Framingham. Growing grapes in the Wairau Valley since 1981 has taught them a thing or thirty about getting it right, and with whole-bunch pressing, longer soakage on skins and longer … Read More
Casa Marin Cartagena San Antonio Valley Pinot Noir 2018
Casa Marin Cartagena San Antonio Valley Pinot Noir 2018 $26 This Chilean Pinot Noir from the San Antonio Valley has that classic, stemmy, earthy, smoky, dried herb note which leads it down the meaty, savoury path. Those fabulously feral aspects merge with charred cherry, pepper, roast tamarillo and tea to create a strong-headed Pinot Noir … Read More
B-Liv Chile Organic Red Blend 2018
B-Liv Chile Organic Red Blend 2018 $29 Crafted from the three red grapes that Chile is most famous for, cabernet sauvignon, carmenere and syrah, this certified organic smorgasbord of berry intensity is a bottle full of grins. Toasty, caramelised oak notes merge with super-fruity blackcurrant and blackberry characters which will perk up even the most … Read More
San Pedro Castillo de Molina Reserva D.O Valle de Curicó Pinot Noir 2018
San Pedro Castillo de Molina Reserva D.O Valle de Curicó Pinot Noir 2018 $29 Highly floral and showing a unusual, minty aroma alongside walnut, soy, and hard, herbal characters. The tannins are raspingly dry, the acid is out of balance and its lacking the minimum amount of fruit weight I need to really enjoy Pinot … Read More
San Pedro Castillo de Molina Reserva D.O Valle de Curicó Pinot Noir 2017
San Pedro Castillo de Molina Reserva D.O Valle de Curicó Pinot Noir 2017 $29 Made by Matius Cruzat, this Chilean pinot noir has a scorched, toasty, nutty note that surrounds an earthy, forest-floor character on the nose. On the palate it’s moving into secondary flavours of prune, dried herb and shows hints of tobacco. The … Read More
Te Mania Nelson Pinot Noir 2019
Te Mania Nelson Pinot Noir 2019 $27 Fresh as a daisy and stacked with spice, the acidity is super-youthful yet pushes redcurrant, cherry and tangy tamarillo to the fore. Certified organic, it’s a style that demands a large, swirlable glass to soften it out and plump it up, and once that oxygen takes hold it … Read More
Ant Mackenzie Wines Toño Hawke’s Bay Rosado 2020
Ant Mackenzie Wines Toño Hawke’s Bay Rosado 2020 $19.99 How saucy is the rose-gold hue of this rosado right? Blended from grapes grown in the Havelock North hills then fashioned into the bottle in a Spanish style by Ant Mackenzie, it’s a kneeslappingly dry, pink peppercorn and white strawberry-soaked thing that you should definitely have … Read More