Church Road 1 Single Vineyard Redstone Hawke’s Bay Merlot 2019 $120 For a wine that hasn’t been fined or filtered, it’s deeply inky and glossy in the glass and the floral aspect is super-pretty. In addition to red rose, plum and boysenberry aromatics, classic Bridge Pa graphite and iron filings also unveil on the nose … Read More
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Church Road One Redstone Cabernet Sauvignon 2019
Church Road 1 Single Vineyard Redstone Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 $120 According to winemaker Chris Scott, cabernet sauvignon is an optimistic variety. “It’ll deal with stress in the vineyard calmly, just assuming things will improve, so it kind of sailed through the vagaries of the 2019 vintage easily,” he says. Clearly, the cabernet’s positive attitude paid … Read More
Orlando Centenary Hill Heritage Vines Barossa Valley Shiraz 2015
Orlando Centenary Hill Heritage Vines Barossa Valley Shiraz 2015 $70 Orlando Wines, Barossa Valley’s first commercial winery, is located in the city of Rowland Flat, South Australia. The first vines that were cuttings of Rieslings from Germany were planted by founder Johann Gramp in 1847 in Barossa’s Jacobs Creek. This wine was under that brand … Read More
CRAGGY RANGE Gimblett Gravels LE SOL 2019 $150 2021 marks 20 years since the very first Le Sol syrah was produced and since then it’s only been released when the fruit is faultless and every vintage has a skite sheet stacked with accolades from across the globe. 2019 is next level. The Le Sol style … Read More
Astrolabe Comelybank Waihopai Pinot Noir 2019
Astrolabe Comelybank Waihopai Pinot Noir 2019 $50 If you hear wine people waffling on about the pinot noir characters that come from Marlborough’s Southern Valleys and you’re struggling to relate, then all you need to do is sip this. The Comelybank site, owned by Jeff and Vanessa Hammond, is located near the confluence of the … Read More
Orlando Lawson’s Padthaway Shiraz 2016
Orlando Lawson’s Padthaway Shiraz 2016 $70 Inky dark and oozing bold spices, dutch cocoa, layers of liquorice, blackcurrant and seasoned saddle leather, it’s a shiraz that’s so velvety, smooth and warm, it literally cuddles your tastebuds. Plump, plush and pulsing with energy and personality. I love it. Orlando
Casarena 505 Mendoza Cabernet Sauvignon 2020
Casarena 505 Mendoza Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 $25 Texted a mate recently to say “Come over, I have powerful ACS” and she was like “OMG I’m calling an ambulance!” I thought that was a tad OTT for harmless Argentinean Cabernet Sauvignon. Turns out she thought I had Acute Coronary Syndrome. Serves me right for having medical … Read More
Beach House Gimblett Gravels Syrah 2019
Beach House Gimblett Gravels Syrah 2019 $30 Chris Harrison is a syrah superstar in my book. Each year his Gimblett Gravels grown grapes produce the peppery, cocoa-dusted goods. The 2019 oozes blueberries, dark chocolate, Christmas pudding spices across the nose and palate, the tannins are smooth, softly elastic and have excellent chew-factor. It’s a warming, … Read More
Elephant Hill Hawke’s Bay Merlot 2018
Elephant Hill Hawke’s Bay Merlot 2018 $27 Quick word. Peel your eyes away from this necktag and let them bathe in the sight of this dark, glossy, gorgeous thing pouring into your glass. Impenetrably inky, and smelling like saddle leather rubbed with baking spices, blackberries and dark cocoa. This wine was made by the scarily … Read More
Tiki Wine Maui Waipara Pinot Noir 2019
Tiki Wine Maui Waipara Pinot Noir 2019 $18 Bright as a button and bursting with berries, cherries and all things ‘erries’. Quite how the folk at Tiki Wines are able to make this lithe, luscious, flavour-stacked Maui pinot noir for next to nix is beyond me. Like why dogs do clockwise circles before they curl … Read More