Mount Michael The Mountaineer Central OtagoPinot Gris 2019 $24.99 While it’s been crafted in a ‘dry’ style, this new addition to the Mountaineer range is actually incredibly rich and shows great nashi, apple and peachy intensity on the nose and palate. Clean, precise, focused and flavoursome, it’s perky and pure and has great cellaring potential … Read More
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Blank Canvas Escaroth Marlborough Pinot Noir 2017
Blank Canvas Escaroth Marlborough Pinot Noir 2017 $49 Here’s a wine showing total class and elegance and you should own it immediately because that’s you in a nutshell right? Grown by Andy and Kyna Laurie, in their dry-farmed, north-facing Taylor Pass vineyard (named after the fictional lake town where the elves in The Hobbit sourced … Read More
Te Awanga Estate The Loom Hawke’s Bay Reserve Chardonnay 2018
Te Awanga Estate The Loom Hawke’s Bay Reserve Chardonnay 2018 $34 Glossy, golden and going gangbusters on the pineapple and peach front, this Rod McDonald creation just powers across the palate leaving a comets tail of caramelised spices, buttered crumpet crumbs, grapefruit zest and tropical tastiness abound. It’s silky, succulent and seriously sexy to sip. … Read More
Mischief Waipara Pinot Noir 2017
Lamb and Chorizo Sausage Plait (dish Aug Sept 2019) A fruit-forward, soft, plush pinot noir is exactly what this spicy, family-sized sausage roll. The Mischief Waipara Pinot Noir 2017 ($28) ticks all those boxes and more. Ripe cherry, raspberry and even a tiny squeak of beetroot all erupt from the glass and the flavours are … Read More
Dog Point Marlborough Chardonnay 2016
Dog Point Marlborough Chardonnay 2016 $40 Well, I’ll be pounded, egged and covered in crumbs Batman. In fact, any chicken recipe just screams out for the finest chardonnay you can lay your hands on. I was incredibly fortunate to have a bottle of the stunning Dog Point Marlborough Chardonnay 2016 within arms reach as I … Read More
Mischief Waipara Pinot Noir 2017
Mischief Waipara Pinot Noir 2017 $28 The Mischief Waipara Pinot Noir 2017 ticks all the boxes for plushness, fruit-forwardness and is one of those wines that’ll inject life into any occasion. Ripe cherry, raspberry and even a tiny squeak of beetroot all erupt from the glass and the flavours are soft, easy, plump and gentle … Read More
Amisfield Central Otago Sauvignon Blanc 2018
Amisfield Central Otago Sauvignon Blanc 2018 $25 The second I see ‘tomato’ and ‘capsicum’ in the ingredients for anything, I’m instantly reaching for a wine like the Amisfield Central Otago Sauvignon Blanc 2018 ($25). Incredibly pungent aromas of lime, lemon, passionfruit, bruised basil and buckets of homemade lemonade loveliness all wash through onto the palate … Read More
Mahi Marlborough Chardonnay 2017
Mahi Marlborough Chardonnay 2017 $29 Blended from four vineyards from the western end of the Wairau Valley after a long, dry summer, the Mahi Marlborough Chardonnay 2017 ($29) is a funk-laced, stonefruit-soaked, toasty, smoky sip. Crafted using only free-run juice and left to ferment wild, with no additions, before maturing in barrel for 11 months, … Read More
Petane Station Hau Hau Block Hawke’s Bay Pinot Gris 2018
Petane Station Hau Hau Block Hawke’s Bay Pinot Gris 2018 $27 This tiny estate located out Eskdale-way, manages to turn out pinot gris that’s consistently mammoth in the personality-stakes. With its new vintage offering a creamy, apple pie and cashew character on the nose, followed by a poached quince and roast pear punch on the … Read More
Bodegas Piqueras Valcanto Almansa Syrah 2014
Bodegas Piqueras Valcanto Almansa Syrah 2014 ($15.95) A soft, easy, super-fruity syrah like this is just the ticket for a soothing sip to serve with anything meaty and spicy. This Spanish smooth-talker adds berries and spice and all things nice to anyone who prefers blueberry and leather notes in their syrah and less of the … Read More