Obliix Gimblett Gravels Hawke’s Bay Syrah Malbec Viognier 2022

1 November 2023By Yvonne

Obliix Gimblett Gravels Hawke’s Bay Syrah Malbec Viognier 2022 $30 New from Sir George Fistonich and his winemaking team headed by Michelle Richardson comes the Oblix/Obliix brand. This is a hugely floral syrah-dominant wine, fleshed out with 12% malbec and 8% viognier to create a light, bright, highly juicy and fantastically fresh red wine that … Read More

Taylors The Pioneer Clare Valley Shiraz 2016

31 October 2023By Yvonne

Taylors The Pioneer Clare Valley Shiraz 2016 $220 I tasted bottle no. 981 This flagship shiraz from the Taylors stable is, in a word, otherworldly. Seductive aromas of red liquorice, baking spices, layers of leather and charred plums lead to a palate awash with rich red berries, caramelised smoky oak, pomegranate molasses and balsamic notes. … Read More

Taylors Masterstroke Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2020

31 October 2023By Yvonne

Taylors Masterstroke Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 $60 Journeying outside their home region of Clare Valley, Taylors winemaker Adam Eggins has unleashed his skill and talent on fruit from Coonawarra. The result is an exceptionally floral, exotically scented, sweet tobacco, spearmint, and cocoa-crammed cabernet with a juicy palate saturated with blueberry, dark cherries and boysenberry depth. … Read More

Taylors Masterstroke McLaren Vale Shiraz 2020

31 October 2023By Yvonne

Taylors Masterstroke McLaren Vale Shiraz 2020 $60 Glossy, inky, and aromatically a beast all of its own. Very different to Taylors Clare Valley shiraz styles in that it’s scented on the earthy, smoky, spicy spectrum while underlying layers of plum, blackcurrant and peppered berries unroll across chewy, toasty, sandy tannins. Dry, densely structured and loaded … Read More

Taylors St Andrews Clare Valley Shiraz 2020

31 October 2023By Yvonne

Taylors St Andrews Clare Valley Shiraz 2020 $70 Bright and sweetly fruited on the nose with lifted boysenberries and dark chocolate, like liquid black forest gateaux. The classic blackcurrant character of shiraz sneaks through more strongly on the palate and it’s cloaked in dusty, earthy tannins and chamois-like textures that add chew and grip where … Read More

Taylors St Andrews Clare Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2019

31 October 2023By Yvonne

Taylors St Andrews Clare Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 $70 Just gazing at its impenetrably inky, glossy, magenta-black colour as it pours into your glass was enough to make me wobble at the knees, but hoisting it to my nose and inhaling its rich aromas of spearmint cocoa, dark plum, wild cherry and smoked blueberries made … Read More

Taylors The Visionary Clare Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2016

31 October 2023By Yvonne

Taylors The Visionary Clare Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 $220 Tasted bottle no. 4034 Inky-bright and garnet-dark, this deeply complex, exotically-scented cabernet sauvignon roars with bay, blueberry, fresh tobacco and earthy, dutch cocoa characters. It’s the 7th vintage of ‘Visionary’  which is named after founder Bill Taylor, who had a vision beyond his life in big … Read More

Decibel Hawke’s Bay Malbec 2021

23 October 2023By Yvonne

Decibel Hawke’s Bay Malbec 2021 $32 This is one seriously fleshy, spice-stacked, cocoa and blueberry, softly peppery, plush malbec and I’m here for it. The mouthfeel is warm, woolly, round and roaring with textural tannins that boast prickle in all the right places. Juicy and velvety and energising to sip. This malbec is a rich, … Read More

Hush Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2021

23 October 2023By Yvonne

Hush Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2021 $38 While any tasting notes and technical details about this wine are sketchy, (due to it being a secret Decibel Wines collaboration project), you really don’t need to know anything except that it’s incredibly floral and vibrantly spiced on the nose, dark berries, classic pepper, it’s all here. The palate … Read More

Decibel Giunta Hawke’s Bay Malbec Nouveau 2022

23 October 2023By Yvonne

Decibel Giunta Hawke’s Bay Malbec Nouveau 2022 $19 Giunta is a range of wines made in a nod to the surname of owner-winemaker Daniel Brennan’s Sicilian great-grandparents. While his great-grandparents were old, this malbec, crafted from two clones (595 & 1056) grown on 3 different blocks around the Bridge Pa Triangle has been designed to … Read More