Matawhero Single Vineyard Gisborne Chardonnay 2022 $21-26 Paired with Annabel Langbein’s Gougere – French cheese Puffs from Bourgogne in the NZ Herald July 29th 2023 I love French cheese puffs so much I think they could easily qualify for my last supper. And I love rich, butterscotchy, toasty chardonnay so much, I’ve asked that they … Read More
single vineyard
Brockenchack Jack Harrison Eden Valley Shiraz 2018
Brockenchack Jack Harrison Eden Valley Shiraz 2018 $69 Made from 54yo grapevines by the ultra-talented Joanne Irvine, Brockenchack’s flagship shiraz is named after the grandson of founders Trevor and Marilyn Harch. Jack is the company viticulturist and is training to become their future winemaker. So no pressure then! Put all your thoughts of shiraz being … Read More
Brockenchack Zip Line Single Vineyard Eden Valley Shiraz 2020
Brockenchack Zip Line Single Vineyard Eden Valley Shiraz 2020 $26 Ripe, spice-stacked, and showing seams of peppercorn and cocoa, this new vintage of one of my favourite new Eden Valley discoveries, has a shed-tonne of flavour and texture circling a core of bright boysenberry and blackcurrant. It’s ultra-fresh, frisky and fanging (technical term) with cocoa … Read More
Mt Difficulty Ghost Town Central Otago Pinot Noir 2017
Mt Difficulty Ghost Town Central Otago Pinot Noir 2017 $55-$60 Ghost Town is one of Mt D’s Single Vineyard series, showcasing fruit sourced from a vineyard the Dicey family planted back in 2002. It’s located on Chinaman’s Terrace in Central Otago’s Bendigo sub-region, and after six years of quiet, sleepy time in the bottle it’s … Read More
Doctors Flat Single Vineyard Bannockburn Central Otago Pinot Noir 2019
Doctors Flat Single Vineyard Bannockburn Central Otago Pinot Noir 2019 $52-$58 Anyone who loves great pinot noir should phone their nearest wine shop now to ask if they have this wine in stock. If they do, hoon down there immediately and celebrate that you’ve carpe’d that diem. If they don’t, wail loudly over the phone … Read More
Yealands Estate Single Vineyard Marlborough Albariño 2022
Estate Single Vineyard Marlborough Albariño 2022 $23-$27 I can see myself slathering this sauce across some sort of sublime Spanish fish dish and for that reason I’d launch myself into a bottle of this shiny-new albariño (pronounced al–bar-een-yo) While the spiritual home of Spain’s signature white wine might be in the Rías Baixas (ree-hass bye-shass) … Read More
Trinity Hill Thomson’s Block Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2020
Trinity Hill Thomson’s Block Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2020 $120 Soothing, stylish and stacked with dark berries, exotic spices, smoky notes and stitched together with graphite-dusted goodness. Grown on the steep slopes of Roys Hill, overlooking the Gimblett Gravels sub-region, this single vineyard syrah is fresh and finely tuned and the tannins have the perfect amount … Read More
Māori Point Barrel Reserve Central Otago Pinot Noir Rosè 2021
Māori Point Barrel Reserve Central Otago Pinot Noir Rosè 2021 $39 If you’re looking for a bright, fruity, lightly-styled rosé then pull over, indicate right and do a u-turn because this complex, multi-textural, slightly smoky rosé will take you in a different direction entirely. Winemaker Matt Evans has fashioned this from 100% hand-harvested Pinot Noir grapes … Read More
Church Road 1 Single Vineyard Gimblett Gravels Malbec 2020
Church Road 1 Single Vineyard Gimblett Gravels Malbec 2020 $120 Cropped to just one bunch per shoot, a very meagre amount equating to roughly 1.2 – 1.3kg of fruit per 1m of canopy, it’s no wonder the wine smells and tastes so densely concentrated. Soft, suede-like tannins cloak a core of seasoned leather, graphite, smoky … Read More
Whitehaven Greg Single Vineyard Awatere Valley Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2020
Whitehaven Greg Single Vineyard Awatere Valley Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc 2020 $28 Named after the late Greg White, Whitehaven’s co-founder, the ‘Greg’ range of wines are only created when the fruit is absolutely perfect and are made by winemaker Diana Katardzhieva. The 2020 is pretty darn delicious and absolutely stacked with citrus, lemongrass, crushed basil … Read More