Astrolabe Wairau Valley Marlborough Pinot Noir 2016 $22 Six years on from harvest this pinot is moving into the baked berry spectrum, dried tamarillo, redcurrant and rooibos tea on the nose and palate combine with layers of spice and smoked cherry characters on the palate. The tannins are softly chewy and prickle nicely under the … Read More
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Astrolabe Wrekin Marlborough Pinot Noir 2019
Astrolabe Wrekin Marlborough Pinot Noir 2019 $65 Aromatically this dark, glossy, pinot noir has a huge lift of red apple and cherry blossom right up front while on the palate it roars with fresh tamarillo, rhubarb and layers of earthy, black tea and soft, savoury meaty notes on the palate. It shows really prominent tannins … Read More
Astrolabe Sleepers Vineyard Kekerengu Coast Pinot Noir 2019
Astrolabe Sleepers Vineyard Kekerengu Coast Pinot Noir 2019 $50 Grown on coastal, limestone-laden soils 50mins drive south of Blenheim, this pinot noir treads softly on the palate yet is underpinned with exotic, savoury spices, baked tamarillo and wild raspberry notes from woah to go. Paired with: Roasted Eggplant with Spiced Lamb and Harissa dish … Read More
Astrolabe Marlborough Chardonnay 2019
Astrolabe Marlborough Chardonnay 2019 $32 In dish Magazine Issue 102 Paired with Dukkah crusted salmon skewers Salmon of any description always suits chardonnay, but when it gets deliciously dukkah-ry, then the Astrolabe Marlborough Chardonnay 2019 ($32) should absolutely be your first port of call. It’s rolling in soft ripe peachy plushness, elegant, creamy textures, and … Read More
Astrolabe Comelybank Waihopai Pinot Noir 2019
Astrolabe Comelybank Waihopai Pinot Noir 2019 $50 If you hear wine people waffling on about the pinot noir characters that come from Marlborough’s Southern Valleys and you’re struggling to relate, then all you need to do is sip this. The Comelybank site, owned by Jeff and Vanessa Hammond, is located near the confluence of the … Read More
Astrolabe The Farm Marlborough Dry Riesling 2019
Astrolabe The Farm Marlborough Dry Riesling 2019 $26 With classic green apple, yellow plum and lime zest characters washing across the nose and palate, it’s an attractive style that has chalky intensity and impressive length of flavour. Grown in their Grovetown vineyard, it’s a riesling with buckets of texture, so make sure you chill it … Read More
Astrolabe Wrekin Marlborough Chenin Blanc 2018
Astrolabe Wrekin Marlborough Chenin Blanc 2018 $32 Simon Waghorn and his wife Jane Forrest-Waghorn set up Astrolabe in Marlborough back in 1996 after years of making wine in Australia and Gisborne. I love that they’ve taken a leap and planted chenin blanc because it produces an apple and honeysuckle-scented dry white wine that’s rarely seen … Read More
Astrolabe Province Marlborough Chardonnay 2015 $26 ★★★★
Although it might confound you to understand how someone could chuck in a scintillating study path in the physiology of seaweed (phaeophycology in case you’re curious) to embark on a career in wine – that’s exactly what Simon Waghorn did. Thank heaven because we wouldn’t have this tangy, grapefruit pith, peach stone and toasty, textural … Read More
Positive Chi For Your Tastebuds
One thing I’ve learned is to never drink wine whilst watching Embarrassing Bodies followed by Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares. There’s nothing like an unsightly pus-filled lump followed by another, well, slightly worse tempered, foul mouthed, pus-filled lump to put my palate up the Khyber. For me, environment is everything. I’m no frilly hippy and I’m no … Read More
Astrolabe Kekerengu Coast Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2010
Astrolabe Kekerengu Coast Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2010 $27 If you’re after bog-standard, simple sauvignon blanc then move along because this wine is something else! Crafted by Simon Waghorn, one of New Zealand’s most experienced sauvignon stylists, the cooler growing temperatures of 2010 are definitely evident in the herbal, nettle, asparagus and brassica-like aromas. In … Read More
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