Chateau Tour De Luchey Bordeaux 2016 $18.95 I LOVE the soft, vanilla and smoke scent that rises from the first whiff of this magnificent little merlot. Give the glass a good swirl to unleash further forest-floor and dark berry notes on the nose. That first sip will reveal rich, complex spices (think Christmas pudding), charry, … Read More
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Pegasus Bay Waipara Valley Pinot Noir 2016
Pegasus Bay Waipara Valley Pinot Noir 2016 $54 As soon as this niceness from North Canterbury nibbles its way up your nostrils, you’ll need to grab hold of a piece of solid furniture to ensure you remain upright enough to put it in your mouth safely. The wobble factor is a result of the exotically … Read More
Taylors St Andrews Clare Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2016
Taylors St Andrews Clare Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2016$65 At the time of labeling, this four-wheel drive of a wine had already scooped 3 international gold medals, so you can deduce that it’s more than a tad flash. With chocolate covered liquorice layers on the nose combined with smoked game meat, dark berry-fruits, seasoned leather and … Read More
Petane Station Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2018
Petane Station Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2018 $30 If you’re not familiar with the eye-rollingly lovely ‘petrichor’ perfume, then stick your nose deep into a glass of this shiny new syrah from one of Hawke’s Bay’s brightest producers and relish that rain-on-hot-asphalt aroma. Boosted with black currant, bay leaf, violets and a smorgasbord of savory layers … Read More
Saint Clair Origin Hawke’s Bay Merlot 2017
Saint Clair Origin Hawke’s Bay Merlot 2017 $22 Kick off your shoes, put your MC Hammer pants on and do a happy dance. This juicy, Gimblett Gravels-grown merlot is seriously floral on the nose and resplendent (now that’s a word) with raspberry, liquorice, spiced plum, and chocolate layers’ that lead to a long, fresh finish. … Read More
Mills Reef Estate Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2018
Mills Reef Estate Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2018 $19 Bright and floral and fanging with violets and cherry and all sorts of spices on the nose, this fresh and feisty syrah has ripe plum, raspberry and cranberry characters on the palate. The tannins are easy, elastic and ever-so-powdery, plus there’s a softness on the finish. Superb … Read More
Little Wing Waiheke Island Syrah 2016
Little Wing Waiheke Island Syrah 2016 $60 This is Gillian and Gareth MacLachlan’s red riot. They became obsessed with Syrah after working in the Northern Rhone in 2010, so when the opportunity came along to purchase a semi-abandoned oceanfront vineyard on Waiheke Island years later, of course syrah was compulsory! Planted on heavy clays, super-close … Read More
Taylors St Andrews Clare Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2015
Taylors St Andrews Clare Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 $60 Red wine lovers, look out. What this wine has is a very particular set of skills. Skills it’s acquired over a very long time, skills that make it a nightmare for people who don’t like cabernet. Because it’s so glorious. If you give in to its … Read More
Ash Ridge Reserve Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2016
Ash Ridge Reserve Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2016 $50 Unfined, unfiltered and absolutely elegance wine-onified. Perfumed with peppercorn, bay leaf, bright violets and plum blossom, the palate of this new release by winemaker Lauren Swift shows deeply savoury characters, leather-slapped, game meat and mocha notes. Fresh acidity and fanging length of flavour. It’s a syrah that’ll … Read More
Akitu A1 Central Otago Pinot Noir 2017
Akitu A1 Central Otago Pinot Noir 2017 $59 How sensual and seductive and intoxicatingly aromatic this wine is, will have you weak at the knees and struggling to form a sentence with every sip. Soaring with rosehip and rooibos tea, cherry, dark plum and mysterious red-fruit saturation that’ll send you into an exotic swoon in … Read More