Kelly Washington Hawke’s Bay Cabernet Franc 2019 $50 Sourced from the iron-rich soils of the Bridge Pa Triangle district, this is a velvety-smooth example scented with blackcurrant leaf, dark cocoa, a hint of liquorice and blueberry. All those characters wash across the palate and leave a warm, woolly, textural finish. 100% cabernet franc isn’t the … Read More
Hawke’s Bay
Brookfields Robertson Hawke’s Bay Pinot Gris 2021
Brookfields Robertson Hawke’s Bay Pinot Gris 2021 $21 Super-fresh and snappy, this pinot gris punches out nashi, white peach and yellow plum plushness. Bright acidity, soft baking spices and satisfying, mouthfilling, length of flavour. Nicely made indeed. Brookfields
Trinity Hill Molly’s Block Hawke’s Bay Rosé 2021
Trinity Hill Molly’s Block Hawke’s Bay Rosé 2021 $39 A very small but very special parcel of syrah sourced from the river-sands soils of the Moteo Pa sub-region was used to craft this ultra-dry and redcurrant-edged rosé. It’s cleansing and delicately designed, yet it’s packing buckets of pink peppercorn and crushed seashell minerality into every … Read More
Trinity Hill Gimblett Gravels Chardonnay 2020
Trinity Hill Gimblett Gravels Chardonnay 2020 $39.99 The dream team of Warren Gibson and Damian Fischer strike again with a chardonnay crafted with class. Erupting with grilled nectarine, grapefruit pith, creme brulee and buttered crumpet characters, its core of citrus and peach is stitched together with toasted almonds and nicely tweaked acid tension. It’s a … Read More
Te Awanga Estate Wildsong Hawke’s Bay Rosé 2021
Te Awanga Estate Wildsong Hawke’s Bay Rosé 2021 $21 I have no idea what grapes have been used to craft this fabulously floral, spice-edged rosé and I’m fine with not knowing. I need more mystery in my life. Bursting with cherry and peachy notes on the nose and crunchy-fresh redcurrant and soft apple characers in … Read More
Brookfields Highland Hawke’s Bay Merlot 2020
Brookfields Highland Hawke’s Bay Merlot 2020 $44 Clothed in a platinum label with a ribbon of owner/winemaker Peter Robertson’s family tartan, the grapes for this vintage were grown in a tiny vineyard in Mere Road, in the middle of the famed Gimblett Gravels sub-region. 2020 is being touted as the ‘perfect’ vintage for Hawke’s Bay … Read More
The Greatest Te Mata Estate Coleraine Vintage Ever?
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
Brookfields Marshall Bank Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2020
Brookfields Marshall Bank Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2020 $37 Just gonna put it out there to say I feel this is the best Marshall Bank chardonnay Pete Robertson and his team have ever produced. Dangerously drinkable, and deliciously defined, it absolutely pops with pineapple, roast peach, rockmelon, yellow plum and toasted almond notes on the nose … Read More
Mills Reef Reserve Gimblett Gravels Syrah 2020
Mills Reef Reserve Gimblett Gravels Syrah 2020 $25 When the 2020 grape harvest wrapped up, winemakers were hopping, skipping and clapping about the excellence of it all and right about now the reds being released are absolutely proving that point. This syrah is always exceptional value however 2020 is a squeak above the rest. Bold … Read More
Church Road Gwen Hawke’s Bay Rosé 2020
Church Road Gwen Hawke’s Bay Rosé 2020 $21 Paired with: Zucchini Noodles with Corn and Tomatoes by Annabel Langbein in Canvas Magazine Saturday 15th Jan 2022 in the NZ Herald All that punchy pesto and creamy, avocado indulgence screams out for this crunchy-crisp, deliciously dry, cheek-slappingly sippable wine. Named in homage to the wife of … Read More