Mahana Clays and Gravels Nelson Pinot Noir 2013 $42 ★★★★½ Nelson produces some of the best pinot noir in the country and this is a great example of why. I love the aromas of tea, baked strawberries, cherries and all manner of earthy-sweet smokiness. ‘Mahana’ means ‘warm’ in Maori and there’s definitely smoothness and warmth … Read More
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Clearview Two Pinnacles Malbec Cabernet Franc 2013
Clearview Two Pinnacles Malbec Cabernet Franc 2013 $29 ★★★★ Named after the two jagged rocky pinnacles clinging to life against the relentless Cape Kidnappers surf down the road from Clearview on the southern tip of Hawke’s Bay – this wine has real ‘edge’ and complexity. Unfiltered and oozing deep damson plum, pepper and smoky tones … Read More
McManis Family Vineyards Petite Sirah 2014
McManis Family Vineyards Petite Sirah 2014 $24 ★★★★ If two of your favourite scents are berries and vanilla then you’ll probably be tempted to dab this behind your ears before you even sip it. Vibrant, exciting and despite being soft and silky on the palate, it’s absolutely loaded with flavour. Petite Sirah is known as … Read More
Spade Oak Voysey Gisborne Syrah Tempranillo 2013
Spade Oak Voysey Gisborne Syrah Tempranillo 2013 $23 ★★★½ Tempranillo might be the signature red grape in the Spanish Rioja wines, yet over in Gisborne, Steve Voysey has had a crack at blending it with syrah which has its h0me in France’s Southern Rhone region. It’s resulted in a wine with sweet, almost medicinal aromas … Read More
Nikau Point Select Hawke’s Bay Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon 2012
Nikau Point Select Hawke’s Bay Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 $13.99 ★★½ The Nikau Point brand has recently been given a spruce up, meaning it looks a tad more stylish on the table, which is always a good thing with a sub-$15 bottle. This is a lightweight red that has layers of dried herb, berry and spice … Read More
Seifried Nelson Zweigelt 2014
Seifried Nelson Zweigelt 2014 ★★★½ Zweigelt is rare and rather crazy red wine that was purpose-built (although for what purpose is unclear) in 1922 by Austrian viticulture professor Fritz Zweigelt, from a crafty cross-dressing of It was a crossing of St. Laurent and Blaufränkisch. Now while you’re still silently mouthing how to say the latter, … Read More
Seifried Nelson Syrah 2014
Seifried Nelson Syrah 2014 $22 ★★★½ Bright peppery aromatics, fresh plum and hints of dark cherry merge with a faint medicinal hit on the nose. Punchy and vibrantly structured in the mouth, it’s a talented teenager ready to hit his straps. Spicy, lively and could actually give some of the Hawke’s Bay syrah’s a run for … Read More
Santagostino Nero D’Avola Syrah 2011
Santagostino Nero D’Avola Syrah 2011 $30 ★★★★ The groovy, gothic-style circular design on the label comes from the façade of the 14th century Sicilian Santagostino Monastry in Trapani, so yes, the bottle looks good, but it tastes like money too. Liquorice, raspberry, dusty rose and pepper aromatics merge with rosehip and pomegranate flavours, fresh acidity, … Read More
Bodega Lagarde Guarda Blend 2012
Bodega Lagarde Guarda Blend 2012 $27 ★★★★ Sourced from one of the oldest bodega’s in the Llujan de Cuyo region of Mendoza in Argentina, this is a blend of 40% malbec, 30% cabernet sauvignon, 20% merlot and 10% syrah that’s been aged for 12 months in French oak. I love its black fruit intensity, liquorice … Read More
Marsden Estate Bay of Islands Tempranillo 2014
Marsden Estate Bay of Islands Tempranillo 2014 $42 ★★★★ Who would have thought that big, busty, dusty Spanish red grapes like Tempranillo would ever be happy growing in a tiny, 10 acre, sub-tropical pocket of Northland? Not many, if any. But Rod McIvor of Marsden Estate had full faith and this juicy, plush, spicy red … Read More