Here’s a sauvignon blanc for chardonnay fans. Roasty, toasty and tropically taut and crisp, it’s bursting with smoked passionfruit punchiness and a lick of lemongrass on the finish. A very drinkable, in fact dangerously drinkable example. www.mountbrown.co.nz
Mount Brown Waipara Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2016 $16 (3.5 stars)
There’s something about the North Canterbury soils and the drying, Nor’west winds that create incredibly floral, super-concentrated sauvignon blanc. Lime, lemongrass, elderflower and bruised basil combine with passionfruit and tropical tones, cut grass and sweet pea combine with crunchy acidity to make a zesty, sexy sip indeed. www.mountbrown.co.nz
Te Awa Single Estate Hawke’s Bay Tempranillo 2014 $29.99 (4.5 stars)
Hands up if you even knew tempranillo was being grown in Hawke’s Bay? Not many if any I’ll vouch. The grape responsible for producing the great Rioja’s of Spain has found a happy home smack bang in the middle of the Gimblett Gravels and it’s thriving. Chock full of intense dark berries, intense dark cocoa, … Read More
Yvonne Lorkin wine column for week beginning Sat 19th May 2018
For the last four decades or so, wine producers in Hawke’s Bay have been (in their own understated way) out there trying to convince the world that their Bordeaux-style reds (wines made from merlot, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, malbec and petit verdot) are just as good, if not better in some cases, as the big … Read More
Yvonne Lorkin canvas column for sat may 19 2018
Hit the smorgasbord and fill your boots with toasty, roasty, buttery, wuttery chardonnays from across the land… Obsidian Reserve Waiheke Island Chardonnay 2017 $48 The stylish, chablis-like elegance of this wine made it an absolute showstopper for me. I love the purity of fruit, intense citrus and minerality on the mid-palate, its peachy backbone and … Read More
Vavasour Anna’s Vineyard Awatere Valley Marlborough Chardonnay 2016 $42
Stu Marfell was only 9 years old when he helped harvest the very first vintage for Vavasour back in 1989. 29 harvests later, he’s their head winemaker and this, their flagship chardonnay, is his baby. Only made in years when the fruit is exceptional, this creamy, barrel-fermented blend of Mendoza and Clone 95 fruit sings … Read More
Sign up for this incredible Vintage 2000 Kiwi vs Bordeaux Tasting!
Hosted by Geoff KellyTHE 2000 VINTAGE IN BORDEAUX, HAWKES BAY … AND NEARBY … Date: Friday 15 June, 2018, 6:30pm start Place: Kidnappers Cliffs Room, Te Awa Winery, 2375 State Highway 50 Cost: $85 per person Bookings: www.fawc.co.nz Limit: 19-only places Contact person at Te Awa Winery: Lisa Chambers, mobile 027 910 0019, email: lisac@teawa.com Booking Conditions / Waiting-LIst: There are no refunds … Read More
Matawhero Irwin Gisborne Chardonnay 2016 $59.99
Launched in September 2017 as Matawhero’s first-time, flagship wine, this chardonnay has so many French hallmarks I think I’m going to christen it a ‘Gisburgundy’ style. And yet no French oak was used, instead the grapes were crushed and fermented wild in a combo of American and Hungarian barrels which imprint a smoked vanilla character … Read More
Mahi Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2017 $22
You’ve heard the saying “You do the Mahi, you get the treats”, it’s totally true with wine too. Meaning ‘work’ in Maori, Mahi’s winemaker Brian Bicknell and his team battled through two cyclones during the season, yet succeeded in crafting this passionfruit, lemongrass and sweetpea-soaked stunner. A tiny 7% splash of barrel ferment adds complexity … Read More
Yvonne Lorkin Canvas column for May 12 2018
Mother’s Day tomorrow means spending money today and she loves wine. If you’re a day or so late with delivery don’t fret, but don’t skimp either… Mahi Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2017 $22 You’ve heard the saying “You do the Mahi, you get the treats”, it’s totally true with wine too. Meaning ‘work’ in Maori, Mahi’s … Read More