If riesling with a kiss of green apple, lime and ripe peachiness sounds like a bit of you, then wait until you sip this dry little dazzler. Tesch’s Krone vineyard in the town of Laubenheim, lies directly next to the Löhrer Berg on an eyewateringly steep slope consisting of coarse, decalcified loess and weathered sandstone … Read More
Pegasus Bay Waipara Chardonnay 2015 $39.00
If you can catch a whiff of struck match on your first sniff then welcome to the world of sulphide complexity, something I love to see a little bit of in my chardonnay. With smoked pineapple, grapefruit and grilled peach characters zigzagging across the palate and erupting on the finish – it’s a super stylish … Read More
Greystone Waipara Chardonnay 2015 $39.00
It’s been 11 years since the Thomas family first put vines in the ground at Greystone and then harvested for this vintage. The chardonnay is now really hitting its straps. Rich and golden in the glass and smelling of, oh lord, just the most delicious melange of almond biscuits rubbed with grapefruit pith and dipped … Read More
Te Kairanga John Martin Martinborough Chardonnay 2014 $40.00
This lightly creamy Martinborough chardonnay is crafted by John Kavanagh and has fresh, lifted nectarine, rockmelon, just the subtlest of toasty notes and a lovely fresh juicy character. It’s elegant yet mouthfilling and supremely satisfying. Clean, vibrant and zingy – it’s the type of chardonnay that’ll make your tastebuds stand to attention, aching to impress. … Read More
Champagne Moutard Grande Cuvee Brut Champagne Brut NV $39.99
Pinot noir components in this Champagne date back almost two decades and each bottle sleeps quietly in cool, dark underground cellars for three years before release. The families of Champagne Moutard Diligent have lived in the village of Buxeuil in the Côte des Bar since the mid 17th century and have been grape growing and … Read More
Aotea Nelson Methode Traditionnelle 2011 $39.00
Created by winemaker Chris Seifried to mark the arrival of his and his sister Heidi’s first children (who both actually burst into the world within 15 hours of each other) – it’s a lovely, vibrantly toasty blend of 50% chardonnay and 50% pinot noir which is a bonza little baby of its own. I love … Read More
Tironui Above & Beyond Hawke’s Bay Malbec/Merlot/Cabernet 2014 $35.00
Malbec has the most incredible, deep,inky purple colour, which gives gloss to this deeply complex, dried herb, bitter cocoa and blackberry-soaked Cahors-style blend. The stunningly terraced Tironui Vineyard is perched right at the top of the Sugar Loaf Hill, overlooking The Mission in Taradale and captures the all-day sun. This is a big, tannic red … Read More
Vina Pomal Crianza Rioja Tempranillo 2013 $24.00
This Tempranillo-tastic red was originally created way back in 1908 and has been a huge Spanish favourite ever since. “You cannot get more Spanish than this wine” says our lovely importer Tomas, and we absolutely believe him. Smell that deliciously dusty vanilla note while you’re pouring each glass? That’s a classic result of it being … Read More
JK.14 Mamma Piave Manzoni Bianco 2015 $26.99
“Just do what Mamma says, and we all stay happy…” it what it says on the front label of the bottle of this super-complex bottle of pinot bianco. The nose has a seriously floral perfume, almost pollen-like, with hints of your grandmothers face cream. Sounds odd, but it’s oddly lovely. In the mouth there’s a … Read More
Terra Sancta Mysterious Diggings White Central Otago Blended White 2014 $24.95
A truly mesmeric blend of Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, Riesling and Muscat crafted by Jody Pagey and Len Ibbotson – from grapes grown on a rather special patch of dirt down the end of Felton Road in Bannockburn. I’m a huge fan of blended, aromatic whites because they’re so exotic and complex. This example is spicy-dry, … Read More