Te Mata Estate Alma Hawke’s Bay Pinot Noir 2018 $60 Ultra-bright and bouncing with broody cherry and mulberry fruit, it’s fresh, vibrant and showing great depth and developing character. The fruit appears ripe and yet shows restraint and the tannins have good cling and I feel they’ll integrate further with the fruit over time. Savoury … Read More
Hawke’s Bay
Te Mata Estate Hawke’s Bay Pinot Noir 2018
Te Mata Estate Hawke’s Bay Pinot Noir 2018 $29 An ultra-fresh pinot noir that pushes fruit and spice out to the edges of the mouth, youthful yet intensely savoury cherry and hedgerow fruit focus, it’s a lovely thing to drink and demonstrates great potential for Hawke’s Bay pinot noir. The tannins have great cling and … Read More
Hawke’s Bay Regional Tasting 16 Oct 2019
Te Mata Elston Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2018 $39.90 Lifted aromas of apple, pineapple, white peach, lemon and a lick of sweet macadamia and fresh acidity and that adds complexity and zest to the lengthy finish. Finely structured and incredibly cleansing to consume, it’s absolutely lovely,
Askerne Hawke’s Bay Pinot Noir 2017
Askerne Hawke’s Bay Pinot Noir 2017 $22 If you’re a fiend for all things savoury, then this spicy, earthy, meaty example from Askerne will be right up your cul de sac. Leather and forest floor and roasting pan notes combine on the nose and palate, followed by dried herb and cough-drop complexity on the finish. … Read More
Zaria Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2018
Zaria Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2018 $30 Crafted by Bryce Edmonds from Mendoza clone fruit grown ‘over the back fence’ of their home on Lesley’s Vineyard on Maraekakaho Road in the middle of the Bridge Pa Triangle. The juice was fermented and matured for 10 months in 33% new oak during which time 100% of it … Read More
Zaria Hawke’s Bay Merlot 2018
Zaria Hawke’s Bay Merlot 2018 $25 I love how winemaker Bryce Edmonds has such devotion to merlot. He always lets the vintage speak for itself, which is why each new release, to me, is so surprising and interesting. The 2018 is new to the market, but tastes like it’s been in the bottle for years. … Read More
Smith & Sheth Cru Mangatahi Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2018
Smith & Sheth Cru Mangatahi Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2018 $60 In a word. Phenomenal. They call the boulders that litter the soils of the Mangatahi sub-region, west of Hastings, ‘Mangatahi swedes’, which is a bit of a dig at the ‘Gimblett Gravels’ or ‘Te Awanga pebbles’ monikers out there. The vines thrive on sun-saturated, … Read More
Maison Noire Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2017
Maison Noire Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2017 $22 If it’s the soft, peppery, violet-soaked style of syrah that wets your whistle and shivers your timbers, then get set for some shakin’ because this new release from the good folk at Maison Noire is the business. Lightly-styled and luscious (rather than a spicy, tannic, muscle-bomb) it’s a … Read More
Maison Noire Hawke’s Bay Arneis 2019
Maison Noire Hawke’s Bay Arneis 2019 $22 Hailing from northern Italy and nicknamed ‘little rascal’ because of it being notoriously tricky to grow, Guillaume Thomas has given it a very happy home in the limestone and clay soils behind the Te Mata Peak range on the way to Waimarama Beach. Chock full of floral intensity, … Read More
Coopers Creek Select Vineyards Gimblett Gravels Hawke’s Bay Merlot Malbec 2015
Coopers Creek Select Vineyards Gimblett Gravels Hawke’s Bay Merlot Malbec 2015 $23.75 Previously sold under the ‘Metals and Gravels’ label, this 57:43 M & M blend is showing how fantastic 2015 was in Hawke’s Bay for merlot-dominant, Bordeaux-style red wines. Elegant, statuesque and stacked with buckets of black fruits, masses of Christmas pudding spices and … Read More