Lemongrass alert! This organically grown sauvignon absolutely heaves with citrus blossom and herbaceousness, buckets of preserved lemon, passionfruit and showing a dry, zesty, mineral-heavy mid-palate. It’s not a fruit bomb, it’s an elegant, lean, complex style. www.gladstonevineyard.co.nz
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Prophet’s Rock Central Otago Pinot Gris 2016 $39.99
Winemaker Paul Pujol has created an absolutely stunning pinot gris from fruit grown in their ‘schist-happens’ Rocky Point vineyard and the clay and chalk soils of their Home vineyard in Bendigo. Fermented using wild, indigenous yeasts and matured on its yeast lees, it has incredible freshness and purity, yet has a deep, smouldering complexity on … Read More
Tony Bish Heartwood Chardonnay 2017 $29.99
The chief of chardonnay, the Maharishi of Mendoza and the boss of white Burgundy, Tony Bish, has crafted a supremely elegant, creamy, citrus-edged wine that, in the words of my teenage daughter, is so good I can’t even deal. Matured in barrels made from the heartwood of French oak species Quercus Robur (big up’s botany … Read More
Urlar Select Parcels Gladstone Sauvignon Blanc 2015 $29 (5 stars)
This is an absolutely stunning example of a softly, beautifully balanced, barrel fermented style that’s organically and biodynamically produced. I love that it has aromas of fresh pollen, subtle lime, marzipan and lemongrass rather than the traditional passionfruit and cats pee. Deliciously textural and showing soft herbaceousness, nutty notes and a layer of freshy-baled hay-like … Read More
Black Barn Hawke’s Bay Pinot Gris 2017 $26 (4 stars)
Winemaker Dave McKee showed up on my doorstep recently, clutching a bottle of this shiny new wine looking grinny and proud. Deservedly so. Luxuriously textured, bursting with baked apple and spiced pear, white pepper and naturally juicy citrus characters. A hint of quince and racy acidity to finish shoots this gris into the sip-o-sphere. It … Read More
Saint Clair Pioneer Block 4 Sawcut Chardonnay 2015 $30 (4.5 stars)
Sourced from a vineyard located at the entrance to the limestone Sawcut Gorge in the south-of-Marlborough Ure Valley, this smart chardonnay from the team at Saint Clair is an absolute cracker. I don’t know how they could have crammed any more flavour into this bottle if they tried. Citrus-stacked, it hurls zesty minerality at you … Read More
Nockies Palette Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2016 $36 (5stars)
Nockies Palette Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2016 $36 (5stars) Butterscotch alert! I love the classic roasty, toasty, buttered crumpet character in this wine. Those flavours merge with grilled grapefruit, pineapple, a whiff of smoked stonefruit and spice. The acidity is fresh and frisky and absolutely forces the flavour to extremes. I love the complexity of this … Read More
Hãhã Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2017 $17.99 (4 stars)
First things first. The fact that this wine sells for under $20 is baffling to me. It roars with stonefruit and citrus and has just the right amount of roasty toasty, hazelnutty flavours to kick it into ‘must-sip’ territory. Ripe, tropical, round and rumpty – just the way I like my chardonnay. Yum. www.hahawine.co.nz
Mount Brown Barrique Ferment Waipara Sauvignon Blanc 2016 $19 (3.5 stars)
Here’s a sauvignon blanc for chardonnay fans. Roasty, toasty and tropically taut and crisp, it’s bursting with smoked passionfruit punchiness and a lick of lemongrass on the finish. A very drinkable, in fact dangerously drinkable example. www.mountbrown.co.nz
Mount Brown Waipara Valley Sauvignon Blanc 2016 $16 (3.5 stars)
There’s something about the North Canterbury soils and the drying, Nor’west winds that create incredibly floral, super-concentrated sauvignon blanc. Lime, lemongrass, elderflower and bruised basil combine with passionfruit and tropical tones, cut grass and sweet pea combine with crunchy acidity to make a zesty, sexy sip indeed. www.mountbrown.co.nz