Bodegas Piqueras Valcanto Almansa Syrah 2014 ($15.95) A soft, easy, super-fruity syrah like this is just the ticket for a soothing sip to serve with anything meaty and spicy. This Spanish smooth-talker adds berries and spice and all things nice to anyone who prefers blueberry and leather notes in their syrah and less of the … Read More
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Ti Wha Coal Pit Central Otago Pinot Noir 2017
Ti Wha Coal Pit Central Otago Pinot Noir 2017 $57 With recent vintages scooping more trophies and medals around the traps than Bob Kerrigan could fit in the pool room, it’s no surprise to me why (on the back on an excellent harvest) the 2017 is nothing short of nuts-good. Estate-grown and hand-harvested at Gibbston, … Read More
Kawa Grove Wines Muriwai Chambourcin Saperavi 2018
Kawa Grove Wines Muriwai Chambourcin Saperavi 2018 $50 If you were looking for two of the rarest red wine varieties in the southern hemisphere then you’ve come to the correct cul de sac. Organically grown chambourcin (a french-american hybrid grape whose juice is pink or red, as opposed to other grapes where the juice is … Read More
Hawkes Ridge Hawke’s Bay Reserve Tempranillo 2016
Hawkes Ridge Hawke’s Bay Reserve Tempranillo 2016 $35 From the dusty, dry terraces left from the flow of the Ngaruroro River, comes this savoury, meaty, spicy wine. Fleshy and fruit-forward, it’s a dry, prune and pepper-laced wine that tastes like it was made 10 years ago. The alcohol is a hefty 14.5% which gives it … Read More
Silver Wing Preservative Free Waipara Pet-Nat 2018
Silver Wing Preservative Free Waipara Pet-Nat 2018 $30 Fashioned in the ancient pétillant-naturel or méthode ancestrale way of allowing the still-fermenting wine to finish itself off (minds out of the gutter people!) inside the bottle, this blend of hand-picked syrah and pinot noir from Waipara has been fermented ‘wild’, in barrel with native yeasts and … Read More
Karikari Estate Toa Iti Merlot Cabernet Franc Tannat 2016/2017
Karikari Estate Toa Iti Merlot Cabernet Franc Tannat 2016/2017 $30 I had high expectations. Sadly the first sip sent me into some sort of cell of self pity. This blend is rough, thin, weedy, prematurely brown in the glass and all kinds of wrong. I keep an open mind about multi-vintage blending because sometimes it … Read More
Karikari Estate Hell Hole Merlot Cabernet Franc 2016
Karikari Estate Hell Hole Merlot Cabernet Franc 2016 $27 While the label excited me and had me running for the good glasses, sadly when I poured this wine, the disappointment was a major. I’m a fan of Karikari’s wines, however this blend is ageing WAY too fast. Brown, oxidised, watery and lacking personality and ‘merlotness’ … Read More
Cypress Terraces Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2014
Cypress Terraces Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2014 $42 Mel and Gus Lawson knew their terraced hillside vineyard would produce some of the most sensational syrah in the region, I’d say they could feel it in their waters, but truth be told, water is not something they see much of and the vines border on dehydration and … Read More
Mt Rosa Reserve Central Otago Pinot Noir 2016
Mt Rosa Reserve Central Otago Pinot Noir 2016 $75 This is a sexy melange of wild cherry, rhubarb, rosehip tea and allspice. Soft, sultry and ever-so-smoky, it’s a style that’s deeply concentrated, gamy and incredibly succulent. Mouthwatering even. It’s a delicious style that has incredible length of flavour and an elegant presence. Love it! Pricey, … Read More
Mt Rosa Central Otago Pinot Noir 2016
Mt Rosa Central Otago Pinot Noir 2016 $35 Incredibly aromatic, this Gibbston-grown pinot erupts with dusty cherry and berry and cocoa characters, plus theres a whiff of rosehip tea and sackloads of spice. Mouthfeel-wise, where do I start? Red fruits, currant and cranberry with hints of strawberry and rhubarb and a hint of black tea … Read More