Taylors The Visionary Clare Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 $220 Tasted bottle no. 4034 Inky-bright and garnet-dark, this deeply complex, exotically-scented cabernet sauvignon roars with bay, blueberry, fresh tobacco and earthy, dutch cocoa characters. It’s the 7th vintage of ‘Visionary’ which is named after founder Bill Taylor, who had a vision beyond his life in big … Read More
Cabernet Sauvignon
Barossa Black Double Oak Series Barossa Rum Cabernet 2021
Barossa Black Double Oak Series Barossa Rum Cabernet 2021 $21 Well well well. With all the bourbon-aged red wines out there, I didn’t expect the character of this wine to be so different, what with it coming from extended maturation in rum barrels. But hello! It’s chock-full of caramel and vanilla and ripe sultana-saturated sweetness … Read More
Barossa Black Barossa Cabernet 2021
Barossa Black Barossa Cabernet 2021 $19 Classic dark, inky cabernet with a sweet boysenberry concentration, hints of peppermint chocolate and bay, it’s an easy, smooth, plump red that’ll keep the party moving. Or it’ll round out your quiet time in front of the telly nicely. If you’re a chunk of blue cheese I’d be very … Read More
Mills Reef Elspeth Gimblett Gravels Cabernet Sauvignon 2019
Mills Reef Elspeth Gimblett Gravels Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 $45 Hailing from one of Hawke’s Bay’s ‘holy trinity’ of vintages (2019, 2020, 2021), the name Elspeth was given, years ago, to their flagship wines, after the owner/winemaker of the time Tim Preston’s grandmother, Elspeth Preston. Only released when the fruit is fantastic, this cabernet sauvignon would … Read More
Elephant Hill Hawke’s Bay Hieronymus 2019
Elephant Hill Hawke’s Bay Hieronymus 2019 $125 A blend of 60% cabernet sauvignon, (clone 10), 29% cabernet franc (clone 326) and 11% merlot (clone 181) sourced from predominantly their ‘Stone’ Gimblett Gravels vineyard, this wine is the epitome of what the Elephant Hill team can achieve from an excellent vintage. Inky-dark and glossy, this wine … Read More
Te Mata Estate Awatea Cabernets Merlot 2020
Te Mata Estate Awatea Cabernets Merlot 2020 $40 If I were in a hostage situation and the gunman said “Somebody better tell me what’s the greatest local Bordeaux-style red wine that I can buy for under fifty bucks, in the next five seconds or the granny gets it!” I would be hollering “Te Mata Awatea … Read More
Maison Noire Hawke’s Bay Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Franc 2021
Maison Noire Hawke’s Bay Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Franc 2021 $35 The nose of this wine absolutely roars with bay leaf and bouquet garni characters, a dusting of dark cocoa, gentle, plush plums and boysenberries ahoy! Classic cabernet characters of cigar box and cedar merge with blackcurrant, dark cherry, hints of black olive and briny goodness … Read More
Trinity Hill Prison Block Gimblett Gravels Cabernet Sauvignon 2020
Trinity Hill Prison Block Gimblett Gravels Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 $120 The way this wine looks as it pours into the glass was enough to elicit an awestruck “woof” from me. Inky, impenetrably dark and gorgeously glossy, it’s the colour of Queen of the Night tulips. It also hoists a payload of intensely pretty, Chocolate Cosmos … Read More
Trinity Hill Gimblett Gravels The Gimblett 2021
Trinity Hill Gimblett Gravels The Gimblett 2021 $40 The way that winemakers Warren Gibson and Damien Fischer have evolved this blend over the last decade or so has been super-exciting to see, particularly as the proportion of cabernet franc is now sitting at 50%. The remainder of the blend consists of cabernet sauvignon and petit … Read More
Tironui Above & Beyond Hawke’s Bay Malbec Merlot Cabernet 2020
Tironui Above & Beyond Hawke’s Bay Malbec Merlot Cabernet 2020 $39 Deeply glossy in the glass, magenta-black, and heaving with smoked blueberry, plum, and blackberry notes on the nose and palate, this wine is dense, delicious, and dangerously sexy to sip. Tironui sits atop Napier’s Sugar Loaf Hill, and its stunning terraces capture sun all … Read More