Muré Signature Alsace Pinot Gris 2016 $27 This Alsatian pinot gris kicks and punches like a teenage MMA fighter. Stacked to its chiselled cheekbones with pear, Golden Delicious apples, yuzu mandarin and classic honeysuckle characters, it’s bracing, brisk, and racy to drink and rocks with pear, chorizo, and mint salad. Fact: the Muré property is … Read More
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Sacred Hill Single Vineyard Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2018
Sacred Hill Single Vineyard Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2018 $25 Sourced from their ‘Riflemans’ vineyard (which is fast becoming known as a national treasure) this new chardonnay ticks all the boxes for fruit weight, bright acidity, caramelised, coconutty oak and citrus complexity in the mid-palate and finish. It’s richly structured, toasty and shows a whisker of … Read More
Pegasus Bay Aged Release Prima Donna Waipara Pinot Noir 2009
Pegasus Bay Aged Release Prima Donna Waipara Pinot Noir 2009 $120 I think the ‘Aged Release’ program that the team at Pegasus Bay have created (in order for people to be able to enjoy what a perfectly cellared, 10yo wine tastes like) is a joyous thing for muppets like me who didn’t manage to get … Read More
Universe Central Otago Pinot Noir 2018
Universe Central Otago Pinot Noir 2018 $34.99 The heat trap that is the ancient glacial soils of Alexandra is responsible for this baked cherry, leather and prune-packed pinot noir. New to the market, and crafted in a completely vegan fashion, it’s a savoury, spice-fest of a wine boasting gentle, fleshy tannins, soft, medicinal notes and … Read More
Chard Farm Mason Vineyard Central Otago Pinot Noir 2017
Chard Farm Mason Vineyard Central Otago Pinot Noir 2017 $79 Very different to Chard Farm’s other single-vineyard wines and sourced from a high-altitude site in the Cromwell basin, winemaker John Wallace has created a spice-saturated wine that has a leaner, statuesque, tuxedo-wrapped profile with dried herb and seriously savoury elements. Pepper, redcurrant, olive, leather, and … Read More
Chard Farm Viper Vineyard Central Otago Pinot Noir 2017
Chard Farm Viper Vineyard Central Otago Pinot Noir 2017 $79 From a tricky, back-to-front harvest season, the pinot noir from Chard Farm set solid form. Sourced from their Viper vineyard located in the Parkburn area on the western side of Lake Dunstan. The site takes its name from the wildflower ”Vipers Bugloss” that carpets the … Read More
Chard Farm The Tiger Central Otago Pinot Noir 2017
Chard Farm The Tiger Central Otago Pinot Noir 2017 $79 Wine match for Annabel Langbein’s Prosciutto & Bocconcini Pizza (Canvas NZHerald sat 14 2019) Prosciutto is my drug of choice. I can’t help myself when it’s around. If I see it on a platter I snaffle it, on hors d’oeuvres, get in my belly, and … Read More
Mills Reef Reserve Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2018
Mills Reef Reserve Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2018 $24.95 If you’re a fan of butter, cashews, cashew butter and all manner of buttery toasty things, then this new release will have you spreading the love. Ripe stonefruit notes merge with said roasty, nutty, buttery layers and build a smooth, peachy finish and generally give you a … Read More
Unison Gimblett Gravels Rocky Syrah 2017
Unison Gimblett Gravels Rocky Syrah 2017 $60 Syrah lovers will launch into a happy dance I’m sure, as soon as they sip this new release from one of Hawke’s Bay’s most acclaimed syrah haus’s. The ‘Rocky’ is testament to how elegant and statuesque cool-climate syrah can be when built well. The deep, ancient riverbed gravels … Read More
Main Divide North Canterbury Rosé 2019
Main Divide North Canterbury Rosé 2019 $20 If you thought, because it’s a rosé from the South Island, that it was bound to be made out of pinot noir, then you might need to saddle up and jump on a new horse because this is an ‘assemblage’ of different grapes that combined, make a crisp, … Read More