Mills Reef Reserve Gimblett Gravels Merlot 2018 $24.95 Paul Dawick and Tim Preston are the crack team of talent behind Mills Reef, and merlot is their monster truck when it comes to wines that plough across your tastebuds and leave a deep, palate imprint. Dark, inky, glossy and erupting with exotic 5spice notes, plum, cherry, … Read More
merlot
Hāhā Hawke’s Bay Merlot 2019
Hāhā Hawke’s Bay Merlot 2019 $13.99 Paired with Beef Massaman in dish magazine Issue 92 2020 Your wallet won’t even wince when you grab yourself a bottle of Hāhā Hawke’s Bay Merlot 2019 ($13.99) to pair with this dish. Savoury, leathery, plum and blueberry notes abound, then a serious thwack (it’s a word) of acidity, … Read More
Trinity Hill Hawke’s Bay Merlot 2019
Trinity Hill Hawke’s Bay Merlot 2019 $22.90 Direct from the merlot capital of the country, this fleshy, speshy merlot is dangerously drinkable. Plum, cherry and boysenberry notes boogie across the nose and palate and leave a gush of gorgeous cocoa and spice on the finish. Soothing and velvety to sip. http://www.trinityhill.com
Moutere Hills Sarau Reserve Nelson Merlot 2018
Moutere Hills Sarau Reserve Nelson Merlot 2018 $55 With its heady perfume of bay leaf and tobacco, fig and prune characters, this soft, plump, fleshy Nelson merlot has slippers by the fireside written all over it. Moutere Hills was founded back in 1997 and 27 years on, they’re turning out some seriously delicious wine. Sarau … Read More
Moutere Hills Nelson Rumer 2016
Moutere Hills Nelson Rumer 2016 $55 Here’s a sensational, smoked-berries-and-leather layered lovely from one of our favourite Nelson-based producers. Unusual in that it’s predominantly merlot, winemaker Rusty Rayne (cool name) has also blended syrah and cabernet sauvignon alongside it, to give inject extra, peppery gravitas. Named after Rusty’s much-loved vineyard Kelpie dog, this rockin’ red … Read More
Bostock Vicki’s Vineyard Hawke’s Bay Merlot 2017
Bostock Vicki’s Vineyard Hawke’s Bay Merlot 2017 $70 Grown at Ngatarawa in Hawke’s Bay’s Bridge Pa Triangle district, this organically produced merlot is incredibly elegant and stylish and shows classic cocoa, plum, espresso, dark berries and plump, velvety textures. Named after the lovely Vicki Bostock, organic agriculture champion and late wife of Johnny Bostock, this … Read More
Mills Reef Reserve Gimblett Gravels Merlot Malbec 2018
Mills Reef Reserve Gimblett Gravels Merlot Malbec 2018 $24.95 Shiny and new from the Mills Reef crew (love me a wine rhyme) is this cracking blend of 61% merlot and 39% malbec from Hawke’s Bay’s superstar Gimblett Gravels sub-region. Cold-soaked for 5 days after being gently crushed has maximised extraction of colour and texture from … Read More
Pask Declaration Gimblett Gravels Merlot 2014
Pask Declaration Gimblett Gravels Merlot 2014 $50 (release date tbc) 2014 had Ronald McDonald-sized shoes to fill seeing as 2013 was hailed as ‘the vintage of the century’ by Hawke’s Bay winemakers, yet this new vintage is sneaking up in spectacular fashion. More elegant in its approach, the core is of blueberry, leather, a click … Read More
Goldie Estate Waiheke Island Merlot Cabernet 2018
Goldie Estate Waiheke Island Merlot Cabernet 2018 $26 Super-bright and berry driven, this merlot cabernet blend is ferociously flavoursome on the fruit-front (that’s my alliteration quota filled for this note) and I’m a huge fan of its mid-palate textures. It’s like a gentle giant of a wine, plush and velvety, but big on personality. Nicely … Read More
Eaton Marlborough Merlot Malbec Cabernet Sauvignon 2015
Eaton Marlborough Merlot Malbec Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 $48 Cool-climate elegance all the way here with Mike Eaton’s new 85:10:5 blend sourced from tiny parcels of fruit gathered from secret-squirrel plots across the region. Seasoned leather, blueberry, graphite, blackcurrant, and pepper push their way across the palate. The tannins are fine-grained, deliciously dusty, and as per … Read More