Maison Noire Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2019 $25 Just 90 dozen bottles were produced of this wine. To give you an idea of scale, that’s less than two pallets. For the whole country. And overseas markets. So you snooze, you lose, I’m afraid. It’s a lush, complex, dried herb and spice-saturated style edged with baked berries, … Read More
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Maison Noire Home Block Hawke’s Bay Cabernet Franc 2019
Maison Noire Home Block Hawke’s Bay Cabernet Franc 2019 $28 Sourced from their tiny vineyard located high up on the Waimarama Road, this is a local take on a French favourite grape from the Loire Valley. This is Cabernet Franc crafted in a softer, more restrained style than most with fine-grained astringency in the mid-palate. … Read More
Maison Noire Single Vineyard Paki Paki Chardonnay 2020
Maison Noire Single Vineyard Paki Paki Chardonnay 2020 $28 Just 75 cases were produced of this uber-refreshing chardonnay which is grown in the deep, limestone-laden soils of Hawke’s Bay’s Paki Paki sub-region, just south of Hastings. With its lifted almond, peach and lemon aromatics and creamy, softly oaky mid-palate and saturation of citrus on the … Read More
Maison Noire Home Block Hawke’s Bay Chenin Blanc 2020
Maison Noire Home Block Hawke’s Bay Chenin Blanc 2020 $30 Crafted from fruit grown in a tiny coast-facing vineyard amongst the hills along the Waimarama Road, this chenin blanc has clean, creamy, almond and apple aromatics and a super-nice nougat and citrus custard character in the mid palate which I really really love. But the … Read More
Maison Noire Hawke’s Bay Arneis 2020
Maison Noire Hawke’s Bay Arneis 2020 $22 Guillaume Thomas has been crafting some of the best local Arneis I’ve ever tasted, and clearly this Italian variety (nicknamed Little Rascal due to its fussy, tricky nature) thrives in the lime and clay soils of his tiny vineyard on the Waimarama Road. Crammed with creamy nectarine, peach … 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
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
Maison Noire Home Block Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2018
Maison Noire Home Block Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2018 $35 Grown on the limestone-laden soils of the Waimarama Road, this syrah has its own distinct personality and it’s not a massively peppery one. Flying in the face of what we consider ‘classic’ Hawke’s Bay syrah, the Home Block is intensely floral and fruit-driven, laced with baking … Read More
Maison Noire Hawke’s Bay Cabernet Sauvignon 2018
Maison Noire Hawke’s Bay Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 $28 Winemaker Guillaume Thomas managed to secure cabernet sauvignon fruit exclusively from the famous Gimblett Gravels district for the 2018 vintage, and egads and forsooth! Has it made a difference! His style is still typically super-elegant and smooth (and that’s just his hairstyle and dress sense) yet the … 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