Leveret Estate Library Edition Hawke’s Bay Merlot Cabernet 2009 $28 It’s not every day that you get to taste newly-released library stock of a ten-year-old merlot cabernet blend, and I’ll tell you this for a dollar. It’s pretty much vanilla and prune-infused perfection in a glass. Softly-styled and oozing into the bricky-red colour spectrum, it’s … Read More
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Big Sky Te Muna Road Martinborough Pinot Noir 2016
Big Sky Te Muna Road Martinborough Pinot Noir 2016 $40 I love the little depiction of the Southern Cross on the label of this Katherine Jacobs and Jeremy Corban-crafted wine, it fits with the clean, unfussy image of a couple focused on maintaining fruit purity and plushness of style. The ancient Te Muna Terraces are … Read More
Brightwater Vineyards Te Kāhu Nelson Pinot Noir 2016
Brightwater Vineyards Te Kāhu Nelson Pinot Noir 2016 $26.99 Three years on from harvest and the wine is taking on a lovely brick-red hue and aromas that lead you down the wild side of the hedge. Named after the native harrier hawk which patrols the vineyards of Gary and Valley Neale, it’s softly savoury and … Read More
Pegasus Bay Prima Donna Waipara Pinot Noir 2015
Pegasus Bay Prima Donna Waipara Pinot Noir 2015 $95 From the second the first whiff of cocoa-covered cherries, black tea, wild berries, truffle and spice assail your nostrils, you know there’s no escape from its clutches. It’s a dense, deliciously structured, statuesque example of what Waipara is capable of. So lush, plush and poised, it’s … Read More
Taiao Reserve Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Franc Malbec 2015
Taiao Reserve Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Franc Malbec 2015 $49.95 So deliciously decked out with dark chocolate, cherry, plum and soft pepper on the nose and palate, this exceptional wine from the Bridge Pa Triangle Winegrowing District has a deep, dark, smouldering personality, liquorice-licked layers of complexity in its statuesque structure. Earthy, wild at heart … Read More
Churton The Abyss Marlborough Pinot Noir 2017
Churton The Abyss Marlborough Pinot Noir 2017 $75 The Abyss is the highest altitude block of this organic and biodynamic producer in Marlborough’s Waihopai Valley. Backing onto a precipitous cliff, it’s also home to Churton’s oldest vines, which grow bunches exposed to the easterly sun, creating fruit with complexity and coolness. Hints of musk, wild … Read More
Maison Noire Hawke’s Bay Cabernet Franc 2015
Maison Noire Hawke’s Bay Cabernet Franc 2015 $25 Cabernet Franc is just the sexiest wee red grape, and yet it’s very rarely made into wine on its own. Crafted by Guillaume Thomas from his tiny vineyard on the Waimarama Road, this new 2015 vintage is ultra-floral and rock-solid with spices and racy, raspberry/cranberry characters. The … Read More
Church Road TOM release 2019
In a new move, the release of arguably one of New Zealand’s most aristocratic range of wines has taken on a new timeframe. Church Road TOM is a tribute to Tom McDonald (1907-1987), a visionary winemaker who devoted his life to producing outstanding wines at Church Road Winery (formerly known as McWilliams Wines) in Hawke’s … Read More
Matahiwi Estate Holly Wairarapa Pinot Noir 2018
Matahiwi Estate Holly Wairarapa Pinot Noir 2018 $42.99 If you’re not a fan of overcooked, overextracted pinot, then this may definitely appeal. A classically-styled pinot noir with hints of tobacco and smoked cherry on the nose and palate, slippery and lush, lightly-structured, powdery tannins, and long, redcurrant and raspberry layers on the finish. www.matahiwi.co.nz
Matahiwi Holly South Series Wairarapa Pinot Noir 2018
Matahiwi Holly South Series Wairarapa Pinot Noir 2018 $45 Do you know what’s freaky? If you look at the dark and sultry image of smoke and blossoms on the label, then sniff this wine, your brain will be assailed with charred roses, graphite, baked berries and cocoa. Singling out pinot noir from their ‘home’ vineyard just … Read More