Driven Snow Central Otago Pinot Gris 2020 $25.99 Nutmeg-dusted nashi notes combine with a splash of poached quince and fresh peachy punchiness on the nose and palate of this crunchy-crisp pinot gris. Deliciously dry and showing a core of minerality which brings an extra layer of complexity and citrosity (new word) to the finish. Powerhouse … Read More
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Jules Taylor Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2022
Jules Taylor Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2022 $23-$26 Whipcrack clean and precise, this sauvignon blanc from one of Marlborough’s most exciting producers is overflowing with herbaceous intensity, lime-licked layers, bruised basil and smoked passionfruit. Utilising fruit grown in the Taylor Pass, Lower Wairau Valley, Hawkesbury and Awatere sub-regions, it has a personality all of its own … Read More
Valli Waitaki Vineyard North Otago Riesling 2021
Valli Waitaki Vineyard North Otago Riesling 2021 $35 Clean as a whistle and showing whipcrack precision, this Waitaki riesling is laced with lime zest, crunchy green apple and a hint of frisky mandarin on the nose and palate. flinty minerality and crushed shell notes cloak its focused acid spine and core of citrus. Finely tuned … Read More
Moutere Hills Nelson Viognier 2020
Moutere Hills Nelson Viognier 2020 $45 Leaning toward the mineral, dry end of the spectrum, this viognier has a very subtle nose yet unveils ginger, nutmeg and a hit of mineral-edged chalkiness on the finish. Lacks the classic stonefruit, jasmine and citrus oil notes that viognier is famous for, but will appeal to those who … Read More
Piwakawaka Gisborne Viognier 2020
Piwakawaka Gisborne Viognier 2020 $25-$28 It’s tricky striking the balance between fruit sweetness and acid tension, but Kristin and Steve Parkes reckon they’ve cracked it. They were landed with 2ha of viognier in front of a home they’d bought back in 2013 and that catapulted them into the crazy world of winegrowing. The grapes are … Read More
Valli Waitaki Vineyard North Otago Pinot Gris 2021
Valli Waitaki Vineyard North Otago Pinot Gris 2021 $34.50 White gold and gleaming in the glass, this snappy-fresh pinot gris has green pear, baked apple, tweaks of ginger, spice and white peach. Crafted by Jen Parr, it’s an intense style, with slight herbaceous notes, white pepper and a complex, dry. slightly saline mouthfeel. Valli Wine
Monowai Hawke’s Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2022
Monowai Hawke’s Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2022 $24.99 Emma Lowe and her husband Marcello are the super-talented duo who craft this crisp, clean, troptastic sauvignon blanc in their small but perfectly formed winery waaay out on Matapiro Road in Hawke’s Bay’s Crownthorpe district. The stones are so big in the vineyards out there, the locals call … Read More
Te Mata Elston Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2020
Te Mata Elston Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2020 $37-$43 There’s a reason why 2020 will go down as one of the greatest Hawke’s Bay vintages of the century. Not just that somehow during a nationwide lockdown and under incredibly tricky, worker safety conditions, did the wines even get made – but the ripening season was a … Read More
Tiki Waipara Riesling 2018
Tiki Waipara Riesling 2018 $23 Royce McKean ditched the corporate grind for a new life in wine after almost meeting his maker. Caught in an avalanche while skiing, he decided during recovery that he wanted to be more connected to the land — and this is the result. Sweet and beeswaxy, heaving with apple, honeysuckle … Read More
Abbey Estate Medium-Dry Bridge Pa Hawke’s Bay Riesling 2020
Abbey Estate Medium-Dry Bridge Pa Hawke’s Bay Riesling 2020 $20 This riesling is an excellent example of balance between acidity, natural sweetness, purity of fruit, and alcohol. Erupting with lime, mandarin, and awesome appletastic flavours, this Bridge Pa-grown beauty has tongue-adhesive textures that elongate the length of flavour, um, elongatingly. I also love how the … Read More