Trinity Hill Gimblett Gravels Chardonnay 2021 $39 Ok, so looking at the 2019, 2020 and 2021 examples, of Trinity Hill’s chardonnay I think, “what have they been feeding the winemakers?” Because there’s something seriously deliciously evil going on. Especially in this vintage. Is it the popcorn drizzled with grapefruit curd? The roast peach and baked … Read More
Hawke’s Bay
Brookfields Hillside Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2020
Brookfields Hillside Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2020 $45 Peter Robertson only makes this, his flagship syrah, when the fruit is exceptional. Sourced from 26yo vines growing on the gentle, sun-baked slopes of the Lyons’ family Hillside vineyard in the Bridge Pa triangle district. It produces tiny bunches of pure and vibrant, violet-scented, berries that create a … Read More
Tironui Estate Hawke’s Bay Rosé 2022
Tironui Estate Above & Beyond Hawke’s Bay Rosé 2022 $25-$30 Crafted from a blend of 73% malbec and 27% cabernet sauvignon grown on the steep terraces of the Sugar Loaf hill looking out over Napier, toward Cape Kidnappers. Richard and Jennifer Brown established Tironui Estate back in 2003, and they’ve been turning out tiny amounts … Read More
Mills Reef Reserve Gimblett Gravels Merlot 2020
Mills Reef Reserve Gimblett Gravels Merlot 2020 $22 If there’s a range of wines that consistently, crowd-wowingly over-delivers for the money, it’s the Mills Reef Reserves. 2020 is fast being written into the stone tablets of wine bibles as being an exceptional year for Hawke’s Bay reds and this plump, plush, mouthcoatingly rich and cocoa-crammed … 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
Abbey Estate Bridge Pa Flirt Brut NV
Abbey Estate Bridge Pa Flirt Brut NV $40 Crafted in a blanc de blanc style by winemaker Dermot Haworth, this is an extremely refined, elegant, cleansing and crammed with class. Creamy almond and rising dough notes combine with crisp lemon and green apple goodness, while the bubbles are pinprick-fine and create tiny, delicate beading as … Read More
Monowai Hawke’s Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2022
Monowai Hawke’s Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2022 $24.99 Emma Lowe and her husband Marcello are the super-talented duo who craft this crisp, clean, troptastic sauvignon blanc in their small but perfectly formed winery waaay out on Matapiro Road in Hawke’s Bay’s Crownthorpe district. The stones are so big in the vineyards out there, the locals call … Read More
Te Mata Elston Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2020
Te Mata Elston Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2020 $37-$43 There’s a reason why 2020 will go down as one of the greatest Hawke’s Bay vintages of the century. Not just that somehow during a nationwide lockdown and under incredibly tricky, worker safety conditions, did the wines even get made – but the ripening season was a … Read More
Abbey Estate Medium-Dry Bridge Pa Hawke’s Bay Riesling 2020
Abbey Estate Medium-Dry Bridge Pa Hawke’s Bay Riesling 2020 $20 This riesling is an excellent example of balance between acidity, natural sweetness, purity of fruit, and alcohol. Erupting with lime, mandarin, and awesome appletastic flavours, this Bridge Pa-grown beauty has tongue-adhesive textures that elongate the length of flavour, um, elongatingly. I also love how the … Read More
Te Mata Estate Cape Crest Hawke’s Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2020
Te Mata Estate Cape Crest Hawke’s Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2020 $34.90 One sip and you’ll see straight away how this wine has become an absolute aristocrat in sauvignon blanc circles. Gorgeously golden in the glass, it’s crafted from a blend of 85% sauvignon blanc, 9% semillon and 6% sauvignon gris which is gently fermented in … Read More