Maison Noire Hawke’s Bay Late Harvest Arneis 2018 $22 Arneis created in a dessert wine style is not something you see every day – especially not here in New Zealand. It’s rare to even find arneis in its normal, dry form, let alone fashioned into a tantalisingly sweet, mandarin and quince-like triumph such as this. … Read More
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Huia Marlborough Gewurztraminer 2016
Huia Marlborough Gewurztraminer 2016 $32 If you’re not fond of blowsy, sweet gewürztraminer then you’re in luck here because this organic example is clean, dry, spicy and stitched together with lacy lychee and gorgeous ginger notes. The team at Huia are experts when it comes to growing good gewürztraminer (which means ‘spicy wine’ in its … Read More
LV Marlborough Chardonnay 2016
LV Marlborough Chardonnay 2016 $48 Straight off the bat, this is by far the most delicious chardonnay I’ve tasted in aeons! Aromas of creme caramel and freshly cut grapefruit and grilled stonefruit lead to the most elegant and statuesque palate that’s oh so concentrated and saturated with citrus and stonefruit. Winemaker Louis Vavasour has gone … Read More
39° Below Hawke’s Bay Pinot Gris 2018
39° Below Hawke’s Bay Pinot Gris 2018 $25 For starters how pretty does this look in the glass? A touch of skin contact has given it the softest, sexiest blush of pink and I love how it rocks classic quince and nashi niceness on the nose, followed by ripe stonefruit, punchy acidity and tongue-tingling textures … Read More
39°Below Hawke’s Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2018
39°Below Hawke’s Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2018 $17.95 So fresh, frisky, vibrant and packed solid with lemongrass, basil, sweet lemon verbena notes, this wine also boasts buckets of passionfruit and nectarine on the nose and palate. It’s a ripe and rumpty sauvignon blanc that’s so friendly and feisty, it’ll please even the fussiest sauvignon snob. Paul McEvoy … Read More
Hunter’s Marlborough Chardonnay 2017
Hunter’s Marlborough Chardonnay 2017 $24 Holy peach pit Batman! This is like a tropical, toasty roundhouse kick to the face by a cheeky chardonnay often discounted down to the $18.99 mark. Absolutely heaving with gorgeous roast stonefruit, grilled grapefruit, toasted cashew, and incredibly zesty acidity makes this a wow moment for me as chardonnay lover … Read More
Veuve Laperrière Blanc de Blancs Brut NV
Veuve Laperrière Blanc de Blancs Brut NV $18 If you’re looking for a rich, creamy, cashewy, peachy bubbles with a hint of sweetness and a complete lack of wallet-impact then you’ve come to the right cul de sac. Made entirely from chardonnay (that’s where the peachiness comes from), it’s a grin-inducing, biscuity little sip that … Read More
Vidal Reserve Hawke’s Bay Pinot Gris 2018
Vidal Reserve Hawke’s Bay Pinot Gris 2018 $19 This is an in-your-face pinot gris if ever I’ve sipped one. There’s a lot happening in the glass and that could be because this vintage has splashes of gewürztraminer and albariño added for extra aromatic and textural complexity. Heaving with baked pear and spiced apple alongside exotic floral notes and … Read More
Invivo Marlborough Pinot Gris 2018
Invivo Marlborough Pinot Gris 2018 $17.99 Shiny and new from the Invivo team, comes this pinot gris packed with fresh-cut pear, nashi and green apple flavours that zing around the palate on a hoverboard of crunchy acidity and spritzy texture. Ultra-fresh and zesty, it’s a little cracker. www.invivostore.com
Lamont Central Otago Chardonnay 2017
Lamont Central Otago Chardonnay 2017 $32 Winemaker Craig Gasson sourced superlatively good fruit from Sue and Andrew Penniket’s organic and dry-farmed Minaret Peaks vineyard down in Wanaka for this new release chardonnay. Handpicked, whole bunch pressed and fermented in a concrete egg fermenter, it erupts with sweet cashew, stonefruit and citrus on the nose and … Read More