Akitu Central Otago Pinot Noir Blanc 2021

4 February 2022By Yvonne

Akitu Central Otago Pinot Noir Blanc 2021 ($45) Paired with: Apricot and Almond Baklava Tart in Canvas Magazine in the NZ Herald Feb 12 2022 and Cheesy mushroom and tarragon croque monsieur in dish Magazine Issue 102 Two things are guaranteed to happen as soon as you launch into this tart and sip this outrageously … Read More

Main Divide North Canterbury Pinot Noir 2020

7 January 2022By Yvonne

Main Divide North Canterbury Pinot Noir 2020 $24.99 Made by the folk at Pegasus Bay and named after the mountainous backbone of New Zealand’s South Island, this superbly-priced pinot noir boasts a beautifully integrated red fruits and smoky, savoury notes. 40% of the grapes were fermented as whole bunches which injects some succulently chewy stem … Read More

Giesen Uncharted Marlborough Pinot Noir 2019

6 January 2022By Yvonne

Giesen Uncharted Marlborough Pinot Noir 2019 $27 This is one of those wines I keep buying and re-tasting and over the last year it’s just getting more and more delicious. Ultra-friendly, juicy and chock full of cherry and hedgerow berries. Sweetly spiced and softly smoky, it’s edged with cocoa and clove and finishes ripe and … Read More

Domaine Denis Carre La Perriere Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Beaune 2019

6 January 2022By Yvonne

Domaine Denis Carre La Perriere Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Beaune 2019 $45.99 With tamarillo, black tea, wild cherry and redcurrant characters, it’s a silky-smooth, spice-saturated style with heightened finesse and finely-tuned tannins to boot. Beautifully balanced acidity and cherry cola complexity add to its all-around excellence. What’s also excellent is the story. Denis Carré wasn’t … Read More

Domain Road Central Otago Pinot Noir 2019

28 December 2021By Yvonne

Domain Road Central Otago Pinot Noir 2019 $40 In 2002 Graeme Crosbie planted his Domain Road vineyard just minutes from an old miners’ hut on the banks of Duffer’s Creek that he used to camp in.  Since then, each year, he’s created vibrant, spice-saturated pinots that I’ve loved. Yet 2019 was different. Pristine weather combined … Read More

McArthur Ridge Brass Knocker Central Otago Pinot Noir 2020

19 December 2021By Yvonne

McArthur Ridge Brass Knocker Central Otago Pinot Noir 2020 $21.50 Highly aromatic, heaving with bright tamarillo, wild cherry and redcurrant characters, it’s ultra-floral, spice-driven and youthfully fresh. The tannins are lithe, powdery and terrifically textural and it’s showing extensive, impressive length of flavour. Packed with flavour and personality, it’s gotta take a gong as one … Read More

McArthur Ridge Reserve Central Otago Pinot Noir 2020

6 December 2021By Yvonne

McArthur Ridge Reserve Central Otago Pinot Noir 2020 $43 Perfumed with poached rhubarb and masses of red berries and cherries, this new ‘reserve’ is a smooth, spice-soaked, style with a core of bright, alluring, fleshy fruit that brilliantly saturates the senses. Have some on hand for when your sister-in-law shows up and asks how you’re … Read More

McArthur Ridge Southern Tor Central Otago Pinot Noir 2020

6 December 2021By Yvonne

McArthur Ridge Southern Tor Central Otago Pinot Noir 2020 $39.99 This shiny new Southern belle shows fresh black tea and soft savoury notes and layers of wild berry and rhubarb, all combined with hints of saucy smoke, spices, tamarillo, cherry and boasts a vibrant, velvety finish. Central Otago’s sub-regions are carved from ancient glaciers that … Read More

McArthur Ridge Brass Knocker Central Otago Pinot Noir 2021

6 December 2021By Yvonne

McArthur Ridge Brass Knocker Central Otago Pinot Noir 2021 $20 Re-tasted Feb 3 2023 and re-evaluated to 5-star Evolving beautifully into a spectrum of dried herb and complex cherry notes with hints of vanilla and cocoa. Gold Medal Decanter World Wine Awards 2022 From the team at McArthur Ridge comes a new vintage of what’s … Read More

Blackenbrook Family Reserve Nelson Pinot Noir 2019

5 December 2021By Yvonne

Blackenbrook Family Reserve Nelson Pinot Noir 2019 $45 I can totally see why this wine made the cut for Ursula and Daniel Swarzenbach’s Family Reserve – clearly 2019 was a year where Tāwhirimātea, Māori god of the weather, gave out the good behaviour awards to their vines. The resulting wine is plucky, plush and showing … Read More