Montana New Zealand Collection ‘Big and Buttery’ Gisborne Chardonnay 2018 $19 Sipping this chardonnay took me right back to being sixteen in 1990, and sneaking a secret sip of mum’s chardonnay. It was an oak bomb spread over a slab of buttered, citrus-infused shortbread, all tizzied up in a glass. Fast forward 28 years and … Read More
Pohangina Valley Estate Pinot Noir 2009
Pohangina Valley Estate Pinot Noir 2009 $35 It’s a rare thing in New Zealand to still be able to buy pinot noir produced back in 2009 but located in the Pohangina Valley about 23 km from Palmerston North is a place where you can. Pohangina Valley Estate is situated on a stony river terrace framed … Read More
Askerne Hawke’s Bay Pinot Noir 2017
Askerne Hawke’s Bay Pinot Noir 2017 $22 If you’re a fiend for all things savoury, then this spicy, earthy, meaty example from Askerne will be right up your cul de sac. Leather and forest floor and roasting pan notes combine on the nose and palate, followed by dried herb and cough-drop complexity on the finish. … Read More
Mount Brown North Canterbury Pinot Noir 2017
Mount Brown North Canterbury Pinot Noir 2017 $21.99 I first tasted this wine in April 2018 and upon recently re-tasting it, I had to adjust my notes because it’s maturing into something rather sensational. Bright crimson in the glass and bursting with redcurrant, wild strawberry, raspberry and cherry notes on the nose and palate, … Read More
TW Reserve Gisborne Reserve Chardonnay 2018
TW Reserve Gisborne Reserve Chardonnay 2018 $27 Bottled on the 29th March 2019, this chardonnay is shaping up to be quite something special. Ripe, rumpty and ready for action with buckets of roast nectarine, creamy, cashew and almond layers and a plush, juicy mouthfeel. This classic Gisborne chardonnay is a huge crowd-pleaser and ultra-long on … Read More
Zaria Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2018
Zaria Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2018 $30 Crafted by Bryce Edmonds from Mendoza clone fruit grown ‘over the back fence’ of their home on Lesley’s Vineyard on Maraekakaho Road in the middle of the Bridge Pa Triangle. The juice was fermented and matured for 10 months in 33% new oak during which time 100% of it … Read More
Zaria Hawke’s Bay Merlot 2018
Zaria Hawke’s Bay Merlot 2018 $25 I love how winemaker Bryce Edmonds has such devotion to merlot. He always lets the vintage speak for itself, which is why each new release, to me, is so surprising and interesting. The 2018 is new to the market, but tastes like it’s been in the bottle for years. … Read More
Peckham’s Cidre de Glace
Peckham’s Cidre De Glace 375ml 9.8% abv ($14.99). It’s like an ‘ice wine’ made with special Jonagold cider apples. The juice is frozen then allowed to thaw, but only 35% of the thawed liquid is kept to ferment and the result is incredibly intense and toffee-tastic. Super-sweet, yet zesty and crisp, there’s a purity and … Read More
Smith & Sheth Cru Mangatahi Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2018
Smith & Sheth Cru Mangatahi Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2018 $60 In a word. Phenomenal. They call the boulders that litter the soils of the Mangatahi sub-region, west of Hastings, ‘Mangatahi swedes’, which is a bit of a dig at the ‘Gimblett Gravels’ or ‘Te Awanga pebbles’ monikers out there. The vines thrive on sun-saturated, … Read More
Maison Noire Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2017
Maison Noire Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2017 $22 If it’s the soft, peppery, violet-soaked style of syrah that wets your whistle and shivers your timbers, then get set for some shakin’ because this new release from the good folk at Maison Noire is the business. Lightly-styled and luscious (rather than a spicy, tannic, muscle-bomb) it’s a … Read More