Coopers Creek Select Vineyards Gimblett Gravels Hawke’s Bay Merlot Malbec 2015

September 13, 2019By Yvonne

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

Taiao Reserve Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Franc Malbec 2015

July 17, 2019By Yvonne

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

Alpha Domus Special Reserve ‘The Aviator’ Hawke’s Bay 2016

May 25, 2019By Yvonne

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

The Hay Paddock Pitchfork Classic Hawke’s Bay Red 2016

August 8, 2018By Yvonne

The Hay Paddock Pitchfork Classic Hawke’s Bay Red 2016 $34 Blended from a selection of classic Hawke’s Bay red varieties with Malbec and Syrah being the main stars, this has been supervised by Chris Canning, artist, writer, winemaker extraordinaire and its loaded with classic savoury peppery meaty notes that wrap around the prune, baked berries … Read More

La Celia Single Vineyard Heritage Uco Valley Malbec 2013 $70

August 8, 2018By Yvonne

La Celia Single Vineyard Heritage Uco Valley Malbec 2013 $70 So incredibly complex and multi-layered, this magically meaty, spice-driven malbec has seasoned leather, soy and black olive notes, anise, Irish moss and sandy, fine-grained but ferociously lovely tannins abound in this meal-in-itself wine.  This wine has great palate presence and superb length of flavour, with … Read More

Tamari Mendoza Malbec 2016 $15.99

June 28, 2018By Yvonne

Tamari Mendoza Malbec 2016 $15.99 The native language of the Mendoza region in Argentina is knows as ‘Huarpe’ and in that language, Tamari means ‘to be passionate’.  I tell you what, after a glass or two of this meaty little malbec then you’ll be feeling more than a little amorous I’m sure.  Smooth, velvety and … Read More

Rod McDonald ‘One Off’ Hawke’s Bay Malbec 2014

December 22, 2015By Yvonne

Rod McDonald ‘One Off’ Hawke’s Bay Malbec 2014 $31 ★★★★ If you’re someone who gets weak at the knees when they see a beautiful colour, then strap yourself into your support-hose because this wine has the most gorgeous garnet, ruby hue.  It also boasts tobacco leaf, dried herbs, cocoa, blueberry and a gentle meaty character … Read More

MATAWHERO MAGIC

June 4, 2014By Yvonne

Has it been six years?  Really? When I first met Kirsten and Richard Searle they were a fresh-faced young couple bursting with nervous excitement having just taken possession of the iconic Matawhero Wines in Gisborne.  It was 2008, they had three babies, a whopping mortgage, a rundown, rambling wine estate and wide-eyed dreams for the … Read More