Te Awanga Estate Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2018 $28.99 Crafted by Rod McDonald, a winemaker seemingly blessed with the syrah version of jazz hands for every vintage, this is a plum and pepper-scented sensation was sourced from fruit grown west of Hastings, an area famous for producing the iron-rich, Bridge Pa soils and the prestigious, deep, … Read More
Hawke’s Bay
Hãhã Hawke’s Bay Pinot Gris 2018
Hãhã Hawke’s Bay Pinot Gris 2018 $18 So bright and bouncy and bursting with baked pear and spiced peach notes on the nose and palate, this is a nicely balanced gris that’s generously proportioned yet very refreshing and crisp. Hints of cashew and apple unveil on the finish too. Nicely made. www.hahawine.co.nz
Hãhã Hawke’s Bay Merlot 2018
Hãhã Hawke’s Bay Merlot 2018 $18 This new release is a super-smashable red that sings plum, plum and more plum! Warm and cuddly in the mouth, it coats the palate with cocoa and spice and slips down far too easily. Edged with pepper, the tannins are soft and woolly, yet add a hint of chew … Read More
Te Awanga Estate Mister Hawke’s Bay Pinot Gris 2019
Te Awanga Estate Mister Hawke’s Bay Pinot Gris 2019 $21.99 A squeak of skin contact has given this gris a super-sexy rose-gold blush in the glass and aroma-wise it ticks all the boxes in terms of quince, baked pear, peachy notes and all sorts of fresh spices that also osmose across the palate. The acidity … Read More
Te Awanga Estate Mister Hawke’s Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2018
Te Awanga Estate Mister Hawke’s Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2018 $17.99 I was tasting this wine whilst looking at a recipe for Spinach, Pea & Parmesan Risotto and sauvignon blanc immediately springs to mind the second I see spinach and peas in any recipe. But you don’t want just any old sauvignon, oh no. You need … Read More
Matahiwi Estate Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2018
Matahiwi Estate Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2018 $18-$22 If I was giving out ribbons and bells for the most consistent, value-for-money-under-the-radar-chardonnay over the last 4 years the Matahiwi would be a veritable morris dancer of a sip. Shiny and new, with tropical fruit up the wazoo, expect an extra lash of peach, rockmelon, guava, grapefruit, toast … Read More
Saorsa Cornerstone Vineyard Hawke’s Bay Viognier 2016
Saorsa Cornerstone Vineyard Hawke’s Bay Viognier 2016 $30 Pronounced “Sore-Sha”, the name Saorsa is a Scottish Gaelic word that not only means but also represents a radical sense of freedom, liberty and salvation according to owner Alex Hendry, one of Hawke’s Bay’s most exciting and ‘one-to-watch’ winemakers. Crafting just viognier and syrah, his 2016 vintage … Read More
Alpha Domus Special Reserve ‘The Aviator’ Hawke’s Bay 2016
Alpha Domus Special Reserve ‘The Aviator’ Hawke’s Bay 2016 $69 This is the flagship Bordeaux blend for the Alpha Domus team led by winemaker Barry Riwai, and this vintage is a blend dominated by cabernet sauvignon that’s boosted by cabernet frand, merlot and malbec from the famous, iron-rich, red gravels of the Bridge Pa Triangle … Read More
Petane Station Hawke’s Bay Gewürztraminer 2018
Petane Station Hawke’s Bay Gewürztraminer 2018 $30 Golden and glossy in the glass and one swirl will reveal exotic aromas of ginger, rose water, white pepper, guava and a hunt of musk. To drink, it has a splash of natural sweetness, yet it’s crisp and juicy, not blowsy and broad – like a lot of … Read More
Petane Station Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2018
Petane Station Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2018 $30 If you’re not familiar with the eye-rollingly lovely ‘petrichor’ perfume, then stick your nose deep into a glass of this shiny new syrah from one of Hawke’s Bay’s brightest producers and relish that rain-on-hot-asphalt aroma. Boosted with black currant, bay leaf, violets and a smorgasbord of savory layers … Read More