Te Mata Estate Hawke’s Bay Coleraine 2020 $130 2020 heralds the 36th release of New Zealand’s most famous red wine and the one that the Buck family are calling “the best in Te Mata’s history”. CEO Nick Buck said 2020 was “Simply perfect” and with tiny berries, alongside massive extract and tension, Te Mata’s winemaker … Read More
cabernet franc
Zaria Hawke’s Bay Merlot Cabernet Franc 2019
Zaria Hawke’s Bay Merlot Cabernet Franc 2019 $25 If you’re looking for a softly-styled, berry, tobacco and toast-filled, fresh-as-a-daisy red wine, then you’ve come to the right place. Bright bay leaf and bouquet-garni herbs combine with cocoa, plum and a lick of blueberry to create a rather joyous thing to drink. Smooth velvety and exciting. … Read More
Yakutin Family Wines Matakana
From Kazakhstan with Love… Oleg Yakutin, owner of Yakutin Family Wines (a 1 hectare vineyard, marked by an ancient brick chimney on Matakana Road, Warkworth), is the first Kazakhstani winemaker in New Zealand. A corporate marketing career in a past life fed his love for fine food and wine, so when the time came for … Read More
Maison Noire Home Block Hawke’s Bay Cabernet Franc 2019
Maison Noire Home Block Hawke’s Bay Cabernet Franc 2019 $28 Sourced from their tiny vineyard located high up on the Waimarama Road, this is a local take on a French favourite grape from the Loire Valley. This is Cabernet Franc crafted in a softer, more restrained style than most with fine-grained astringency in the mid-palate. … Read More
Beach House Hawke’s Bay Cabernet Franc 2018
Beach House ‘F’ Hawke’s Bay Cabernet Franc 2018 $25 Here’s a fact. If it weren’t for cabernet franc, we wouldn’t have any cabernet sauvignon. You see, back in the mists of time, cabernet franc had some sexy-time with a saucy little sauvignon blanc vine and when the sap began to rise in the springtime, a … Read More
Coxhead Creek Matakana Rosé 2020
Coxhead Creek Matakana Rosé 2020 $25 How gorgeously pretty is this wine! You’re looking at it right? So perfectly pale, this rosé is made from cabernet franc grown by Michael Lorimer. Cabernet Franc classically adds fullness, volume, and delicately sweet red fruit notes to any wine, so when it’s crafted into a rosé, it’s a … Read More
Coxhead Creek Inlet Red Matakana Cabernet Franc 2013
Coxhead Creek Inlet Red Matakana Cabernet Franc 2013 $18 That waft of vanilla smoke on the nose indicates that winemaker Warren Knudsen has made excellent use of a combination of French and American oak. That oak wraps around the bay leaf, blackcurrant, and leather layers in this strapping wine from our northern climes. Solid tannins … Read More
Petane Station Hawke’s Bay Merlot Cabernet Franc 2018
Petane Station Hawke’s Bay Merlot Franc 2018 $30 Well kachango my mango, if this merlot blend isn’t by far the most saucy, seductively-spicy, fruit-soaked thing to sniff and sip, then I’ll be a cross-eyed coyote. I also need to stop watching so many spaghetti Westerns on Netflix. Ahem. In all seriousness however, this wine is … Read More
Coxhead Creek Matakana Rosé 2019
Coxhead Creek Matakana Rosé 2019 $25 I love this wine! Crafted by the crazy-talented Warren Knudsen, from 100% cabernet franc, this rosé is the real deal. It’s incredibly concentrated, spicy, floral and deliciously dry to drink. Crisp, focused and showing superb purity of flavour, it’s a style that I’d love to see more of from … Read More
Redmetal Erinview Vineyard Hawke’s Bay Merlot Cabernet Franc 2007
Redmetal Erinview Vineyard Hawke’s Bay Merlot Cabernet Franc 2007 $soldout Twelve years. Twelve years is clearly the magic number for this wine. Crafted by Grant Edmonds from fruit sourced from the long-ago sold Erinview vineyard, this merlot-dominant dominatrix is clad in leather and scented with berries and spice and is long and leggy and darn … Read More