Grown at the Principessa Gavia vineyard in the region of Novi Ligure in the lower Piedmont, this snappy, zesty white crafted from 100% cortese di gavi grapes, has gorgeous sweet, poached quince characters on the nose and ripe pear, nashi and zesty spicy florals in the mouth. Incredibly complex and characterful, it’s a wine with … Read More
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Terra Sancta Riverblock Bannockburn Chardonnay 2014 $29 ★★★★
On the nose this is EXACTLY my kind of chardonnay. Complete with a twang of ripe nectarine, buttered crumpet and fresh-cut grapefruit, (all of which soak through onto the palate) it’s a ripper of a wine. Solid citrus, juicy, tropical tones and layers of clean, toasty complexity, it demands to be tasted the next time … Read More
Loveblock Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2014 $25 ★★★★½
Loveblock is a small organic vineyard project housed at the end of Ugbrooke Road in Marlborough’s Awatere Valley that has been all-consuming for Kim and Erica Crawford for the last few years. A radical departure from commercial sauvignon, this has sweet lemongrass, basil and riverbank flowers on the nose followed by a juicy, multi-layered palate … Read More
Mills Reef Elspeth Gimblett Gravels Chardonnay2014 $39.95 ★★★★
Tim Preston and his team at Mills Reef have done a cracker of a job with this wine. I love the aromas of grapefruit pith, vanilla, peach and pineapple. All those elements also flood across the palate alongside a layer of buttery, creamy complexity. Plus there’s a lovely cleansing character on the finish which makes … Read More
Matavino Matakana Viognier 2015 $25 ★★★½
Matakana is like an El Dorado for rich, aromatic white wines – and this viognier is definitely in it’s happy place here. Grown in Warkworth, the wine oozes sunshine and classic apricot kernel characters alongside hints of jasmine, ripe peach and a seam of sea salt. I like the slippery, oily character of this wine … Read More
Jules Taylor Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc 2015 $33★★★★
The unmistakeable aroma hit of passionfruit curd, candied lemon zest and dried mango carries completely across a palate saturated with honey, toffee and tangy, limedrop lollies. Sauvignon blanc done sweetly is an absolute treat and Jules Taylor is an expert at getting it fresh, vibrant and loaded with vavoom. Stunning stuff with slivers of hard, … Read More
Philip Shaw The Architect Chardonnay 2015 $20 ★★★½
Sourced from the high altitude Koomooloo vineyard on the slopes of the extinct volcano of Mount Canobolas, this wine is refined, elegant, lean and flinty. There’s a lemony, pith-like layer in the mid-palate – a reflection of the limestone and volcanic soils. I don’t get to drink wines from the Orange region of New South … Read More
Clearview Coastal Chardonnay 2015 $19 ★★★★
There’s nothing about chardonnay that Tim Turvey from Clearview can’t tell you because he and his team on Hawke’s Bay’s Te Awanga coast make pretty much every style of it under the sun. The ‘Coastal’ is soft and biscuity on the nose, with a glimmer of grapefruit, hints of flint and ripe peach, hazelnut and … Read More
Black Estate Home Vineyard Chardonnay 2015 $42 ★★★★
The Naish family who own Black Estate in Waipara, now have three vineyards located in different terroirs of North Canterbury’s Waipara district, and they’re all now in organic conversion. The 12ha ‘Home’ vineyard was planted in 1994 and the ungrafted, Mendoza-clone chardonnay vines are now really hitting their straps. Golden queen peach, citrus blossom and … Read More
Amisfield Central Otago Sauvignon Blanc 2015 $28 ★★★★
One of the things I love about sauvignon blanc, is that it’s so brazen about showing where its from right from that first sniff and sip. Central Otago sauvignon blanc has a really distinct, soft, nettle and elderflower note on the nose and fresh white pepper, peach and lemon pith flavours on the palate. There’s … Read More