Whitecliff Pinot Noir 2014 $8.99 ★★½ A local supermarket budget brand that’s been around for aeons, the Whitecliff pinot is actually an Australian wine. But that’s ok because let’s face it, you’re seriously up against it to make pinot noir in this country for that sort of price. It has some sweet, spicy notes on … Read More
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Folding Hill Ballasalla Central Otago Pinot Noir 2013
Folding Hill Ballasalla Central Otago Pinot Noir 2013 $35 ★★★★ ‘Ballasalla’ is the name of the village on the Isle of Man where owner Tim Kerruish grew up. It’s appropriate, as the wine has a ‘homely’ feel to it, immediately comforting and approachable. Attractive red rose, red cherry, tea, black guava and bouquet garni herbs … Read More
Pask Gimblett Road Cabernet Merlot Malbec 2013
Pask Gimblett Road Cabernet Merlot Malbec 2013 $22 ★★★★ Brace yourself for pepper, leather, plum, fresh boysenberry and leafy aromatics which lead to a palate loaded with red berries, cranberry, pomegranate, dried sage and a dusting of dark cocoa powder. Super-fresh, youthful acidity combined with attractive grip on the finish makes this an affordable wine … Read More
Burn Cottage Central Otago Pinot Noir 2013
Burn Cottage Central Otago Pinot Noir 2013 $60 ★★★★½ True to their biodynamic philosophies, Ted Lemon and Clair Mulholland conduct all their winemaking work in accordance with lunar and celestial rhythms. They use naturally-occurring, wild yeasts, minimize their sulphur use and avoid using additives or filters. If you want a definition of complexity, this pinot … Read More
Craggy Range Sophia 2013
Craggy Range Sophia 2013 $72.95 ★★★★★ This rose and cedar-scented red is a blend of 62% merlot, 19% cabernet sauvignon, 18% cabernet franc and 1% petit verdot. Juicy and concentrated, this wine offers exotic aromas of bitter cocoa, sun-dried herbs and dense, dark berry fruit. There’s also an instant hit of warmth and woodsmoke, graphite, … Read More
Craggy Range Aroha Te Muna Road Pinot Noir 2013
Craggy Range Aroha Te Muna Road Pinot Noir 2013 $99.95 ★★★★★ Highly floral aromatics, with rosehip and black tea, plum, rhubarb and a smorgasbord of red fruits burst through on the nose and make way to pillowy, cherry-bramble and spice-forward flavours. There’s a hint of cassia bark, pomegranate, white pepper and smoke followed by leafy, … Read More
Matariki Quintology 2009
Matariki Quintology 2009 $80 ★★★★★ After a few years in the bottle, this Gimblett Gravels-grown blend of merlot, cabernet’s sauvignon and franc, malbec and syrah, is really hitting its straps. With sexy, exotic aromas of ripe blackberry and sweet plum smashed into seasoned saddle leather and sprinkled with dried herbs, violets, bitter chocolate and white … Read More
Tatty Bogler Central Otago Pinot Noir 2013
Tatty Bogler Central Otago Pinot Noir 2013 $35 ★★★★ It might be named after a scruffy, Scottish scarecrow, but this pinot is pure class. Fresh, clean and showing nice lines of red fruits, cocoa and spice on the nose, the palate is followed by a juicy, long finish. Very nice indeed, and destined for more … Read More
Sacred Hill Helmsman 2010
Sacred Hill Helmsman 2010 $85 ★★★★★ My first taste of this wine was a few years before the millennium and back then I was told the name represented something that led the way that stood ahead of the pack and steered you in the right direction. A Helmsman is released only in years when the … Read More
Craggy Range Sophia 2010
Craggy Range Sophia 2010 $73 ★★★★★ Sophia is Craggy Range’s flagship example of how the classic Bordeaux varieties of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot can be sewn together to create a sublime red wine right here on our shores. Scented with anise, blackcurrant, dried herbs and gamey, earthy notes; in the mouth … Read More