Te Mata Estate Hawke’s Bay Pinot Noir 2018 $29 An ultra-fresh pinot noir that pushes fruit and spice out to the edges of the mouth, youthful yet intensely savoury cherry and hedgerow fruit focus, it’s a lovely thing to drink and demonstrates great potential for Hawke’s Bay pinot noir. The tannins have great cling and … Read More
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Rock N Pillar Central Otago Pinot Noir 2016
Rock N Pillar Central Otago Pinot Noir 2016 $29 Sourced from a single vineyard overlooking the Dunstan Basin, the Rock n Pillar pinot noir is fast becoming one of my favourite things. Perfumed with forest floor, smoked strawberry, tree bark and cherry, it’s a full-yet-elegant style that’ll shiver your timbers and rattle your dags. The … Read More
Pohangina Valley Estate Pinot Noir 2009
Pohangina Valley Estate Pinot Noir 2009 $35 It’s a rare thing in New Zealand to still be able to buy pinot noir produced back in 2009 but located in the Pohangina Valley about 23 km from Palmerston North is a place where you can. Pohangina Valley Estate is situated on a stony river terrace framed … Read More
Askerne Hawke’s Bay Pinot Noir 2017
Askerne Hawke’s Bay Pinot Noir 2017 $22 If you’re a fiend for all things savoury, then this spicy, earthy, meaty example from Askerne will be right up your cul de sac. Leather and forest floor and roasting pan notes combine on the nose and palate, followed by dried herb and cough-drop complexity on the finish. … Read More
Mount Brown North Canterbury Pinot Noir 2017
Mount Brown North Canterbury Pinot Noir 2017 $21.99 I first tasted this wine in April 2018 and upon recently re-tasting it, I had to adjust my notes because it’s maturing into something rather sensational. Bright crimson in the glass and bursting with redcurrant, wild strawberry, raspberry and cherry notes on the nose and palate, … Read More
Zaria Hawke’s Bay Merlot 2018
Zaria Hawke’s Bay Merlot 2018 $25 I love how winemaker Bryce Edmonds has such devotion to merlot. He always lets the vintage speak for itself, which is why each new release, to me, is so surprising and interesting. The 2018 is new to the market, but tastes like it’s been in the bottle for years. … Read More
Maison Noire Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2017
Maison Noire Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2017 $22 If it’s the soft, peppery, violet-soaked style of syrah that wets your whistle and shivers your timbers, then get set for some shakin’ because this new release from the good folk at Maison Noire is the business. Lightly-styled and luscious (rather than a spicy, tannic, muscle-bomb) it’s a … Read More
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
Coopers Creek Select Vineyards Gimblett Gravels Hawke’s Bay Merlot Malbec 2015
Coopers Creek Select Vineyards Gimblett Gravels Hawke’s Bay Merlot Malbec 2015 $23.75 Previously sold under the ‘Metals and Gravels’ label, this 57:43 M & M blend is showing how fantastic 2015 was in Hawke’s Bay for merlot-dominant, Bordeaux-style red wines. Elegant, statuesque and stacked with buckets of black fruits, masses of Christmas pudding spices and … Read More
Pegasus Bay Aged Release Prima Donna Waipara Pinot Noir 2009
Pegasus Bay Aged Release Prima Donna Waipara Pinot Noir 2009 $120 I think the ‘Aged Release’ program that the team at Pegasus Bay have created (in order for people to be able to enjoy what a perfectly cellared, 10yo wine tastes like) is a joyous thing for muppets like me who didn’t manage to get … Read More