Decibel Giunta Hawke’s Bay Malbec Nouveau 2022 $19 Giunta is a range of wines made in a nod to the surname of owner-winemaker Daniel Brennan’s Sicilian great-grandparents. While his great-grandparents were old, this malbec, crafted from two clones (595 & 1056) grown on 3 different blocks around the Bridge Pa Triangle has been designed to … Read More
Hawke’s Bay
Decibel Hawke’s Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2023
Decibel Hawke’s Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2023 $22 Grown in Crownthorpe, west of Hastings, that fruit has created a bright, vibrantly tropical sauvignon blanc, that’s refreshing, zesty, lemon-laced and passionfruit-packed. Juicy, generous, tropical and energetic, it’s the kind of sauvignon that you’d throw in the fridge for 45 minutes, get out the good glasses and get … Read More
Decibel Testify Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2022
Decibel Testify Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2022 $44 Gloriously golden in the glass this is a creamy, nutty, roast nectarine-scented chardonnay that’s the result of blending fruit from Te Awanga fruit with vineyards inland. 100% barrel fermented, it’s a style that’s easy, fleshy, softly peachy and dangerously drinkable. There’s a seam of minerality rolling through the … Read More
Decibel Organic Bridge Pa Hawkes Bay Rosé 2022
Decibel Organic Bridge Pa Hawkes Bay Rosé 2022 $24 Daniel Brennan is ‘Decibel Dan’ master of creating rosé that hits that sweet spot between delicacy and weight, which is exactly what I want in rosé. Prepare for sweet, generous fruit with dry textures in every sip (that’s the merlot talking) and . Ripe, cherry and … Read More
Tony Bish Wines Heartwood Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2021
Tony Bish Wines Heartwood Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2021 $40 Wow! 100% barrel-fermented in 3-year-old seasoned French oak, it’s deeply golden and glossy in the glass and bursting with scorched peach, grilled grapefruit and roasty, toasty goodness on the nose and palate. Stylish, seamless and super-refreshing, it has excellent citrus weight, a hint of creamy complexity, … Read More
Te Mata Hawke’s Bay Bullnose Syrah 2020
Te Mata Hawke’s Bay Bullnose Syrah 2020 $68-$80 One of New Zealand’s true icons, not just for Syrah but for wine in general. Grown in the iron-rich soils of the Bridge Pa Triangle, Te Mata’s Bullnose vineyard, is a 15-hectare site planted in 1990 and it’s home to former winemaker Peter Cowley and his family. … Read More
Trinity Hill 125 The Gimblett Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2021
Paired with Baked Brie with honey, walnuts and thyme in the NZ Herald Canvas Drinks matches Sept 9th 2023 Trinity Hill 125 The Gimblett Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2021 $80 Deeply golden in the glass, this roasty, toasty, citrus-centric chardonnay was hand-harvested fruit from Trinity’s “Tin Shed” vineyard, gently pressed then fermented with wild yeasts in a … Read More
Village Vineyards Hawke’s Bay Merlot 2020
Village Vineyards Hawke’s Bay Merlot 2020 $30 Like sands through the hourglass, so are the days of our lives. I love spending time in our Auckland office because people put names on the food in the fridge which is really quaint. Right now I’m eating some spag bol called ‘Debbie’. It needs salt. This merlot … Read More
Decibel Giunta Hawke’s Bay Pinot Gris 2022
Decibel Giunta Hawke’s Bay Pinot Gris 2022 $24.99 If you’ve been hunting for a crunchy-crisp, spice-laced pinot gris that’s packed with fresh-cut pear and yellow apple complexity – then hang up your boots because you’ve stepped right on it. Dry, zesty-fresh and seriously juicy on the palate, it has great tension and lipsmacking textures. It’ll … Read More
Chateau Garage runs on Powrie Power
Garage Days Revisited by Yvonne LorkinAugust 1, 2023 Photo: Florence Charvin [As published in July/August BayBuzz magazine.] “Bruno, our schnauzer, may greet you with a bark,” was the text from Ollie Powrie a few minutes before I pulled up for our interview. So I was prepared, as I noodled up the driveway of his 1920s … Read More