Mills Reef Reserve Gimblett Gravels Cabernet Merlot 2016 $24 Re-tasted on June 3rd 2020, this vintage (if you still have it in your cellar or spot one in a shop) is drinking rather superbly. Lashings of plum, chocolate, cherry and berry characters lead to soft, suede-like textures, warm, velvety notes and a long, smooth finish. … Read More
Hawke’s Bay
Moana Park Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2018 (2nd batch)
Moana Park Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2018 (2nd batch) $14.99 (http://www.winecentral.co.nz) – $25 One thing Dan Barker knows how to do is make darn nice chardonnay. This is a second batch of later-bottled chardonnay created from 100% Clone 95 fruit from 13 year old vines. It has a different flavour spectrum to the previous 2018 Moana … Read More
Squawking Magpie Stoned Crow Gimblett Gravels Syrah 2014
Squawking Magpie Stoned Crow Gimblett Gravels Syrah 2014 $49.95 Well dip me in pepper and call me spicy! This Gimblett Gravels pioneer just blasts past the competition when it comes to solid syrah. How? For starters the peppercorn, violets, blueberries, cherry and tobacco notes, earthy shadows and layers of leather mean it delivers on the … Read More
Elephant Hill Reserve Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2017
Elephant Hill Reserve Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2017 $54 If anyone knows how to make exceptional syrah, it’s Steve Skinner. He’s been shepherding Elephant Hill’s fruit from their Bridge Pa, Gimblett Gravels and home vineyard at Te Awanga into the bottle for many many years and his skill is on show here. Blueberry, black pepper, dried … Read More
Maison Noire Home Block Hawke’s Bay Chenin Blanc 2019
Maison Noire Home Block Hawke’s Bay Chenin Blanc 2019 $28 If you’re looking for a fresh, creamy, apple-packed wine that delivers a cleansing slap around the chops then this Hawke’s Bay grown chenin is just the ticket. Ultra-juicy and stitched together with a solid, mineral thread and finishing with a squeak of peardrop and almond. … Read More
Mills Reef Reserve Gimblett Gravels Merlot Malbec 2018
Mills Reef Reserve Gimblett Gravels Merlot Malbec 2018 $24.95 Shiny and new from the Mills Reef crew (love me a wine rhyme) is this cracking blend of 61% merlot and 39% malbec from Hawke’s Bay’s superstar Gimblett Gravels sub-region. Cold-soaked for 5 days after being gently crushed has maximised extraction of colour and texture from … Read More
Maison Noire Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2019
Maison Noire Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2019 $23 This is one of my absolute favourite new release chardonnays from Hawke’s Bay. Grown in the limestone-rich soils behind Te Mata peak, on the Waimarama Road, it’s a succulent, citrus-soaked style that shows skilled use of oak and great attention to detail. Grapefruit, pineapple and peachy punchiness on … Read More
Askerne Reserve Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2018
Askerne Reserve Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2018 $32.90 Prepare for a juggernaut of jungle juice tropicality, electrifying acidity, spunky citrus and a dollop of delicious, biscuity oak and smoke on the finish. It’s a sexy chardonnay indeed and clearly the team at Askerne had a very good handle on its potential as soon as the grapes … Read More
Swift Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2019
Swift Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2019 $30 Winemaker Lauren Swift has named this her ‘First Edition’ and for a debut solo release, it’s a stunner. It’s all in the barrel she reckons. She’s used Clone 15 fruit grown in the Bridge Pa Triangle and poured the third fill off the press into just one, second-use barrel. … Read More
Black Barn Barrel Fermented Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2019
Black Barn Barrel Fermented Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2019 $39 If you were wondering what the 2019 vintage was like for the great players in Hawke’s Bay chardonnay – then let it be known that it was, if this wine is any indicator, rather great. This is a wine that I look forward to each year … Read More