Black Estate Netherwood North Canterbury Pinot Noir 2017 $75 When I say this pinot noir brings the funk, I don’t mean the kind of funk occurring in the ‘used mats’ bin down the local Bikram studio, I mean freshly-turned-earth funky, old, seasoned leather funky, wild cherries and spiced rhubarb funky. Unfined and unfiltered, it’s cloudiness … Read More
North Canterbury
Pegasus Bay Waipara Valley Chardonnay 2018
Pegasus Bay Waipara Valley Chardonnay 2018 $44 The vines that pump out the fruit from which this chardonnay is crafted are over 30 years old. Now that might not seem that old, but if you think about New Zealand’s modern wine industry really only kicking off in the late 1980’s, and even then, the nation … Read More
Black Estate Damsteep North Canterbury Pinot Noir 2017
Black Estate Damsteep North Canterbury Pinot Noir 2017 $45 Get ready to get swept into a vortex of Chinese herbal tea, hedgerow fruits, seasoned leather and wild cherry characters on the nose and in this very nicely structured, organically grown pinot noir, there is an exotic intensity that rolls through to the palate. It literally … Read More
Pyramid Valley North Canterbury Pinot Noir 2018
Pyramid Valley North Canterbury Pinot Noir 2018 $50 The black tea and cherry notes on the nose dish out an exotic hit of aromatic intrigue that’s fresh, floral and flirtatious. Highly savoury and showing good tension linking the spice, acidity, alcohol and tannins. Warming and deeply flavoured, it’s a style that happily drinks now, but … Read More
Pyramid Valley North Canterbury Chardonnay 2018
Pyramid Valley North Canterbury Chardonnay 2018 $40 I love the unusually floral nose, lavender and fennel merge with hallmark peach and citrus pith layers that break in waves across the palate. Supported by a seriously acid-forged spine and edged with smoke, it’s also slightly cloudy, hazy in the glass due to not being conventionally filtered … Read More
Black Estate Dam Steep North Canterbury Riesling 2018
Black Estate Dam Steep North Canterbury Riesling 2018 $30 Deep clay and limestone soils are responsible for turning out certified organic riesling that’s both clean yet rich and creamy to consume. Golden in the glass and perfumed with baked apple, manuka honey and citrus notes, it’s a beautifully balanced, fresh and crunchy, characterful riesling that … Read More
Pegasus Bay Waipara Valley Gewürztraminer 2017
Pegasus Bay Waipara Valley Gewürztraminer 2017 ($30) Ginger Pork and Peanut Stir Fry – paired in CANVAS Nov 16 2019 I’m a sucker for bold, ballsy, aromatic white wines with any dishes where fresh ginger is the hero, which is why the shiny, new Pegasus Bay Waipara Valley Gewürztraminer 2017 ($30) perfectly shivers my timbers … Read More
Black Estate Home North Canterbury Chardonnay 2018
Paired in dish magazine Summer 2020 Barbequed beer-can chicken Ahoy chardonnay squealers! You’re gonna be wanting to know about the groovy and gorgeously tasty Black Estate Home North Canterbury Chardonnay 2018 ($41.99) because it’s finger-lickin’ with this chicken. The style oozes grilled citrus, layers of caramelised, spicy oak, creamy complexity and has a long, elegant, … Read More
Black Estate Home North Canterbury Pinot Noir 2017 $45 Mushroom Paté – matched in dish magazine Summer 2020 You don’t have to say mushroom paté twice to get me opening a bottle of the Black Estate Home North Canterbury Pinot Noir 2017 ($45). With 75% whole berries in the 100% wild ferment (kickstarted in the … Read More
Mount Brown North Canterbury Pinot Noir 2017
Mount Brown North Canterbury Pinot Noir 2017 $21.99 I first tasted this wine in April 2018 and upon recently re-tasting it, I had to adjust my notes because it’s maturing into something rather sensational. Bright crimson in the glass and bursting with redcurrant, wild strawberry, raspberry and cherry notes on the nose and palate, … Read More