Immediate aromas of coffee grinds, cocoa and ripe plum all osmose onto the palate in a wave of vanilla-soaked red fruits, medicinal spices, velvety tannins and a woolly, wonderfully dry mouthfeel. A cracker of a Bordeaux blend where Vignerons de Buzet is the union of winegrowers and employees who decided to take their future in … Read More
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Pa Road Marlborough Pinot Noir 2015 $16.99 (3.5 stars)
Here’s a great little introduction into Marlborough pinot noir, crafted by the McDonald family and the talented team at Te Pa Wines. It’s spicy, juicy, loaded with cherry and savoury, hedgerow fruits and has an earthy, slightly suede-like finish. Sip with classic, rosemary and garlic-studded roast lamb. www.thegoodwine.co.nz
Crazy By Nature Cosmo Red 2015 $26 (3.5 star)
Grown biodynamically by James Millton in Gisborne, this ‘field blend’ of Malbec, Syrah and a splash of Viognier is produced using special herbal, mineral and animal preparations and looking to the laws of nature. No herbicide, insecticide, systemic fungicide or soluble fertilizer was used, also no cultured yeasts or bacteria came within coo-ee of the … Read More
Fairhall Downs Marlborough Pinot Noir 2016 $35 (5 stars)
New favourite alert! This pinot noir is absolutely heaving with ultra-juicy cherry boysenberry, raspberry and masses of spice. It’s generous, plush and silky-smooth to drink. Plus it’s got pluck and personality and that’s exactly why your glass will be almost impossible to put down. www.fairhalldowns.co.nz
Unison Gimblett Gravels Syrah 2015 $55 (4.5stars)
This wine may be from a ‘monster’ vintage, a vintage you’d expect to produce exclusively big, alcoholic, over-extracted wines. Yet here we have elegance ‘wine-on-ified’. Fresh pepper and vibrant plum and boysenberry backstroke through waves of vanilla and dried herbs. The tannins are solid, yet stretchy and supple and it’s a wine that the team … Read More
SOHO Havana Marlborough Pinot Noir 2015 $38 (5 stars)
This wine won the trophy for Best New Zealand Pinot Noir at the International Wine Challenge in London last week. How appropriate that a pinot named after one of the sexiest capital cities in the world, also has a distinct lift of tobacco leaf and cigar box on the nose and palate. Combine this wine … Read More
Rod McDonald Quarter Acre Syrah 2015 $35 (5stars)
You know how some people say they can hear voices in their head? Well sipping this wine may suddenly give you voices in your gob. I feel it’s ok to say ‘gob’ because in the official tasting notes, accompanying this wine, Rod says it has ‘violets and cassis on the snoz’. I love the pretty … Read More
Saint Clair Pioneer Block 17 Plateau Gimblett Gravels Merlot 2014 $32.90 (5 stars)
Incredibly bright on the nose, bursting with ripe boysenberry, plum cherry and sweetly spiced, smoky notes. Here’s a deeply flavoured, rich and satisfyingly fruity, with layers of leather and cocoa carrying through to the finish. I love the refreshing, vibrant acidity and its gripping, yet supple tannins. It’s a very precise yet plush and generous … Read More
Saint Clair Pioneer Block 17 Plateau Gimblett Gravels Cabernet Merlot 2015 $37.90 (4.5 stars)
I love the lift of pepper, plum, cocoa and buckets of fruit cake spices this wine possesses. It’s beautifully balanced with smooth, cuddly undertones and elegant, finely-grained tannins. Fleshy, succulent and seriously good. Clearly the team at Saint Clair in Marlborough are now experts in dealing with smoulderingly good fruit from Hawke’s Bay’s Gimblett Gravels … Read More
Château Trébiac Graves Rouge 2011 $27.20 (3.5 stars)
‘Graves’ translates to ‘gravelly land’ in French, and here’s a blend of 30% cabernet sauvignon and 70% merlot from this important subregion of Bordeaux, located on the left bank of the Garonne river. It’s a medium-weight, savoury, soy and dark olive edged red with hints of prune, cocoa and smoke running through the middle. The … Read More