39°below Hawke’s Bay Merlot Cabernet 2016 $25 Paul McEvoy has created one of the smoothest, cuddliest, most dangerously drinkable blends of merlot and cabernet that I’ve had the pleasure of slipping down my esophagus in a long time. Erupting with vanilla, sweet, smoky layers, buckets of ripe berries and soft plum on the nose and … Read More
Neudorf Moutere Riesling Dry 2017
Neudorf Moutere Riesling Dry 2017 ($29) Crafted from a concoction of three different clones harvested in cooler conditions than usual in the Moutere. It has fullness and funk from its 100% wild ferment, alongside soft lime and bruised apple aromatics, a hint of biscuity, nutty niceness and long, elegant acidity on the finish. It’s fantastic.
Jules Taylor Marlborough Pinot Noir 2017
Jules Taylor Marlborough Pinot Noir 2017 $32.99 So ripe, rumpty and ready for action this pinot noir is just itching to serve with any food that’s got a squeak of spice in it. It’s the intense cherry, clove, cocoa and berry bodaciousness that makes it so food friendly, while its softness and velvety structure makes … Read More
Dog Point Marlborough Chardonnay 2015
Dog Point Marlborough Chardonnay 2015 $36.99 You know how some chardonnay’s look great in the adverts and there’s a lot of marketing guffery and so you buy it. But when it arrives it tastes like the same version of disappointment you get when you buy a dress off instagram, which, when delivered, is actually a sack … Read More
Providore Central Otago Pinot Noir 2017
Providore Central Otago Pinot noir 2017 $39 Winemaker Pete Bartle upsticked from his native Hawke’s Bay in 2001 for the bright lights of Central Otago and it’s been veni, vidi, vici for him ever since. Now one of the region’s most highly awarded winemakers, Pete’s decided that since he’s earned access to some of the … Read More
Catalina Sounds Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2018
Catalina Sounds Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2018 $24 Passionfruit. check. Lime. Check. Crushed herbs. Check. Cut grass and capsicum. Check. Spark and personality? Hmmm not so much. I was expecting a punch in the face, but got a flick from a damp teatowel instead. It’s an ok drink, but for $24 it’s lacking pungency and … Read More
Durvillea Marlborough Chardonnay 2016
Durvillea Marlborough Chardonnay 2016 $15.99 It beggars belief at how this wine can sell for under $20. It is such a complete and beautifully rewarding and generously proportioned wine that it should be double the price. With roast stonefruit notes, caramelised oak, fresh, flirtatious acidity, and creamy complexity, it’s a buxom and generous chardonnay that’s seriously … Read More
Maison Noire Hawke’s Bay Late Harvest Arneis 2018
Maison Noire Hawke’s Bay Late Harvest Arneis 2018 $22 Arneis created in a dessert wine style is not something you see every day – especially not here in New Zealand. It’s rare to even find arneis in its normal, dry form, let alone fashioned into a tantalisingly sweet, mandarin and quince-like triumph such as this. … Read More
Maison Noire Hawke’s Bay Rosé 2018
Maison Noire Hawke’s Bay Rosé 2018 $20 Made by French winemaker Guillaume Thomas, this cabernet franc-based rosé is bursting with redcurrant, cranberry and pomegranate aromas and flavours. It’s pretty and trout-pink in the glass and there’s even a touch of creaming soda and tamarillo in there, too. Fresh, succulent, saucy, and with a hint of … Read More
Huia Marlborough Gewurztraminer 2016
Huia Marlborough Gewurztraminer 2016 $32 If you’re not fond of blowsy, sweet gewürztraminer then you’re in luck here because this organic example is clean, dry, spicy and stitched together with lacy lychee and gorgeous ginger notes. The team at Huia are experts when it comes to growing good gewürztraminer (which means ‘spicy wine’ in its … Read More