Greenhough Apple Valley Nelson Riesling 2022 $25 Every year I marvel at the amount of intense granny smith and jazz-apple crispness and concentrated, spritzy, lime-laden sweetness that Andrew Greenhough and his team manage to cram into this organic wine. Sourced from a tiny, north-facing vineyard on Apple Valley Road (the cutest road name ever) overlooking … Read More
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Wairau River Reserve Grüner Veltliner 2021
Wairau River Reserve Marlborough Grüner Veltliner 2021 $29 How’s them apples! This little bit of Austria here in Aotearoa gives an immediate hit of freshly cut apples, lemon pith, yellow plums and wildflowers on the nose and palate making this grüner groovy in all the right places. With a squeak of tarragon and soft, peachy … Read More
Waimea Nelson Sauvignon Gris 2022
Waimea Nelson Sauvignon Gris 2022 $22 Sauvignon gris is a single grape. It’s not, as many people instantly assume, a blend of sauvignon blanc and pinot gris. Sauvignon gris has its home in a tiny ‘department’ called Jura, in western France and it’s famous for producing wines that burst with spiced citrus, feijoas, white strawberries … Read More
Astrolabe Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2022
Astrolabe Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2022 $26.99 Vibrant, lifted lemony layers leap up the nostrils and soak the palate in this vibrant, classically-styled sauvignon from one of Marlborough’s top producers. Soft, peachy tones merge with hints of basil and lemongrass on the finish. Cleansing and clean. Astrolabe
Gladstone Vineyard Wairarapa 340 Blanc 2019
Gladstone Vineyard Wairarapa 340 Blanc 2019 $45 I just lurve me a blended white. Like, really love them. To the point of obsession, where people keep a wide berth and try to avoid my gaze in the tasting room. Grown just outside of Carterton, this magical mélange shows the soft herbaceousness of sauvignon blanc, the … Read More
Forrest Wines Marlborough Semillon 2021
Forrest Wines Marlborough Semillon 2021 $28 Up until 2021, it had been 10 years between bottlings of Forrest semillon in a classic, dry style. I was beginning to think it’d never happen again. Oh the horror! Like Wellington on a good day, nothing beats Marlborough semillon in a great vintage, and this is absolute proof. … Read More
The Hunting Lodge Homeblock Waikoukou Waimauku Sauvignon Blanc 2021
The Hunting Lodge Homeblock Waikoukou Waimauku Sauvignon Blanc 2021 $29 Not many people know that the actual, actual, actual birthplace of commercial, New Zealand sauvignon blanc, is out in West Auckland. Yep. Originally planted by the Spence brothers in 1970 with 400 bottles produced in the first vintage of 1974, they then decided to propagate … Read More
Greywacke Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2021
Greywacke Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2021 $27 Choosing fruit grown across a smorgasbord of great sites in Marlborough’s Wairau and Southern Valley’s, this nighttime-harvested sauvignon was crafted in individual vineyard batches that were left on their yeast lees for 3months before the final blend was created then it was bottled in mid-August. This has added a … Read More
Sorrell The Wrekin Marlborough Chardonnay 2021
Sorrell The Wrekin Marlborough Chardonnay 2021 $tbc Where has this chardonnay been all my life? Ultra-fresh and absolutely fanging with gorgeous grilled grapefruit, white peach, Pacific Rose apple and complex, caramelised oak characters on the nose and palate – it’ll perk up even the most jaded tastebuds. From the certified organic, Wrekin vineyard, tucked away … Read More
I review the 2020 Hawke’s Bay Winegrowers Chardonnay Selection
I review the 2020 Hawke’s Bay Winegrowers Chardonnay Selection. Twelve wines whittled down from dozens submitted that were judged by Cameron Douglas MS to reflect the absolute finest examples created from the 2020 vintage from the Hawke’s Bay region. I love that there’s a healthy sub-regional spread in terms of where they were grown and … Read More