Te Awanga Estate The Loom Hawke’s Bay Reserve Chardonnay 2018 $34 Glossy, golden and going gangbusters on the pineapple and peach front, this Rod McDonald creation just powers across the palate leaving a comets tail of caramelised spices, buttered crumpet crumbs, grapefruit zest and tropical tastiness abound. It’s silky, succulent and seriously sexy to sip. … Read More
Petane Station Esk Valley Single Vineyard Edelzwicker 2019 $30 Edelzwicker wine is essentially made from white grapes which are harvested and fermented together. It’s all a bit loose and there are no set rules with what grapes can be used and those grapes can also be made into wine separately and then blended together. Historically, … Read More
Leveret Estate Library Edition Hawke’s Bay Merlot Cabernet 2009 $28 It’s not every day that you get to taste newly-released library stock of a ten-year-old merlot cabernet blend, and I’ll tell you this for a dollar. It’s pretty much vanilla and prune-infused perfection in a glass. Softly-styled and oozing into the bricky-red colour spectrum, it’s … Read More
Taiao Reserve Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Franc Malbec 2015 $49.95 So deliciously decked out with dark chocolate, cherry, plum and soft pepper on the nose and palate, this exceptional wine from the Bridge Pa Triangle Winegrowing District has a deep, dark, smouldering personality, liquorice-licked layers of complexity in its statuesque structure. Earthy, wild at heart … Read More
Maison Noire Hawke’s Bay Cabernet Franc 2015 $25 Cabernet Franc is just the sexiest wee red grape, and yet it’s very rarely made into wine on its own. Crafted by Guillaume Thomas from his tiny vineyard on the Waimarama Road, this new 2015 vintage is ultra-floral and rock-solid with spices and racy, raspberry/cranberry characters. The … Read More
Te Awanga Estate One Off Underground Organic Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2018 $33 Grown out in the rocky soils of what the locals call ‘the RD9’ (or Maraekakaho to the townies), this organic chardonnay comes courtesy of the skilled winemaking wizardry of Rod McDonald. Wait. How rocky are the soils I hear you ask? Ok. So … Read More
Maison Noire Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2018 $25 With its nectarine and peachy creaminess and with cashew characters abound, this new chardonnay from Guillaume Thomas has got instant crowd-appeal. Richly structured, but showing fresh, frisky acidity, it’s a juicy, easy drink with solid stonefruit complexity on the mid-palate and finish. www.maisonnoire.nz
Maison Noire Hawke’s Bay Chenin Blanc 2018 ($29) Golden, glossy in the glass and heaving with crisp, lipsmacking acidity, toasted coconut and grapefruit characters alongside roasted apples and all manner of mineral-induced magic in the mouth. Chenin blanc hails from the Loire Valley in France (which is where its winemaker Guillaume Thomas is also from) … Read More
Maison Noire Hawke’s Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2015 $12 Here’s where you need to get your thoughts away from the words ‘sauvignon blanc’ and think about it more as being a white wine made in a reduced, funky style, that’ll definitely spark debate if you took it along to a blind tasting. A splash of viognier … Read More
Te Awanga Estate Mister Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2018 $18 If you’re looking for a chardonnay boasting peachy punchiness, a lick of creaminess, a sprinkling of nuttiness and citrus all the way home, then you’ve come to the correct cul-de-sac. It’s fresh, feisty and has crowd appeal written all over it. With its whimsical label … Read More