Posted: November 2, 2022
From ‘the first New Zealand-grown prosecco grapes’, this bottle-fermented Gisborne wine was disgorged after one month’s aging on its yeast lees. Very easy drinking, it is refreshingly light and lively, with very good depth of citrusy, appley flavours, fresh acidity…
Comments Off on Spade Oak V Le Champ NZ Prosecco 2022 / 0 View / November 2, 2022
Posted: November 2, 2022
Bright, light pink, this chardonnay and pinot noir blend was grown in Marlborough and Hawke’s Bay, and handled by the ‘Charmat’ method. Crisp and very lively, it has gentle strawberry and watermelon flavours, slightly peachy and yeasty notes, very good…
Comments Off on Haha Brut Rosé NV / 0 View / November 2, 2022
Posted: November 2, 2022
Priced right, this blend of chardonnay and pinot noir is from Marlborough base wines, up to five years old, handled by the ‘Charmat’ method. Bright, light lemon/green, it has a freshly scented, gently yeasty bouquet. Crisp and vigorous, it is…
Comments Off on Haha Brut Cuvee NV / 0 View / November 2, 2022
Posted: November 2, 2022
Worth discovering, this distinctive, pale pink/orange Marlborough wine was made from estate-grown, single block pinot noir. The bouquet is highly fragrant, strawberryish and yeasty; the palate intense, with vigorous, peachy, spicy, yeasty flavours, showing excellent depth, and a dry, lingering…
Comments Off on Clos Henri Vineyard Chapel Block Blanc de Noirs 2019 / 0 View / November 2, 2022
Posted: November 2, 2022
This lush, full-bodied dessert wine was estate-grown at Matapiro, hand-harvested, and fermented with indigenous yeasts in French and Hungarian oak casks. Golden, it is highly fragrant, with concentrated, peachy, gently honeyed flavours, an oily texture, and lovely complexity and harmony….
Comments Off on Church Road Grand Reserve Noble Hawke’s Bay Pinot Gris 2021 / 0 View / November 2, 2022
Posted: November 2, 2022
This fresh, invitingly perfumed wine was estate-grown in the lower Awatere Valley. Bright, light lemon/green, it is medium-bodied, with strong, vibrant, peachy, spicy flavours, slight sweetness, moderate acidity and a very smooth, harmonious finish. $27
Comments Off on Loveblock Marlborough Gewurztraminer 2021 / 0 View / November 2, 2022
Posted: November 2, 2022
This single-vineyard wine was grown at Dillons Point, hand-picked, and fermented and matured in large French oak casks. Certified organic, it is vigorous and youthful, with crisp, citrusy flavours, gentle mealy, buttery and biscuity notes adding complexity, and a tightly…
Comments Off on Zephyr Marlborough Chardonnay 2020 / 0 View / November 2, 2022
Posted: November 2, 2022
This generous, single-vineyard wine offers fine value. Light lemon/green, it is mouthfilling, with rich, ripe stonefruit flavours to the fore, gentle toasty notes, balanced acidity, good complexity and a finely balanced finish. $25
Comments Off on Stoneleigh Rapaura Series Marlborough Chardonnay 2021 / 0 View / November 2, 2022
Posted: November 2, 2022
Already drinking well, this single-vineyard wine was barrel-fermented. Lemon-scented, it has strong, ripe, citrusy, peachy flavours, mealy, savoury notes adding complexity, and a slightly buttery finish. $32
Comments Off on Domain Road Defiance Central Otago Bannockburn Chardonnay 2020 / 0 View / November 2, 2022
Posted: November 2, 2022
This youthful, mostly hand-harvested wine was fermented with indigenous yeasts in French oak barrels. Bright, light yellow/green, it is mouthfilling, with concentrated, peachy, toasty flavours, showing very good complexity, and fresh acidity. Best drinking 2024+. $25
Comments Off on Church Road McDonald Series Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2021 / 0 View / November 2, 2022
Posted: November 2, 2022
This young wine offers great value. From a vineyard on the south side of the Wairau Valley, it is mouthfilling, with excellent vigour and intensity of ripe stonefruit flavours, and toasty oak adding complexity. Best drinking 2024+. $25
Comments Off on Brancott Estate Letter Series ‘O’ Marlborough Chardonnay 2021 / 0 View / November 2, 2022
Posted: November 2, 2022
A drink-now or cellaring proposition, this French oak-fermented wine has cool-climate vigour. Bright, light yellow/green, it is mouthfilling, with rich, stonefruit flavours, seasoned with toasty oak, very good complexity and balanced acidity. $30
Comments Off on Awatere River Marlborough Chardonnay 2019 / 0 View / November 2, 2022
Posted: November 2, 2022
Unfolding gracefully, this is a great buy. Hand-harvested and barrel-fermented, it is a powerful, youthful wine with mouthfilling body, fresh acidity and concentrated stonefruit flavours, toasty and complex. Showing lovely richness, vigour and harmony, it should be at its best…
Comments Off on Church Road Grand Reserve Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2020 / 0 View / November 2, 2022
Posted: November 2, 2022
Unfolding well, this is a bright, light yellow/green, estate-grown Awatere Valley wine. Medium to full-bodied, it has good intensity of peachy, lemony, appley flavours, balanced acidity and a slightly off-dry, lingering finish. Best drinking 2023+. $27
Comments Off on Loveblock Marlborough Dry Riesling 2020 / 0 View / November 2, 2022
Posted: November 2, 2022
Already enjoyable, this medium-bodied wine is invitingly scented, with good intensity of citrusy, slightly peachy flavours, full of youthful vigour, gentle sweetness and finely balanced acidity. Best drinking 2024+. $30
Comments Off on Bald Hills Last Light Single Vineyard Central Otago Bannockburn Riesling 2021 / 0 View / November 2, 2022
Posted: November 2, 2022
This fresh, vigorous, intensely varietal wine should be long-lived. Highly scented, it is medium-bodied, with incisive, lemony, appley flavours, firm acid spine, and a dryish, lasting finish. Best drinking 2025+. $27
Comments Off on Domain Road The Water Race Bannockburn Dry Riesling 2020 / 0 View / November 2, 2022
Posted: November 2, 2022
This finely poised, intense wine was crafted in a medium style. Bright, light lemon/green, it has vibrant, penetrating, peachy flavours, a gentle splash of sweetness, mouth-watering acidity, and excellent depth and harmony. Drink now or cellar. $27
Comments Off on Domain Road Duffers Creek Bannockburn Riesling 2019 / 0 View / November 2, 2022
Posted: November 2, 2022
This distinctly ‘alternative’ style of pinot gris was given 11 days of skin contact, fermented with indigenous yeasts in open top French barriques, oak-aged for four months, and bottled unfined and unfiltered. Pale orange, with a tannin grip, it is…
Comments Off on The Elder Martinborough Pinot Gris 2022 / 0 View / November 2, 2022
Posted: November 2, 2022
Enjoyable young, this organically certified, estate-grown, Awatere Valley wine was principally handled in tanks, but 20% was fermented in a mix of old French oak barrels and a concrete egg. Bright, light lemon/green, it is attractively scented, fresh and medium-bodied,…
Comments Off on Loveblock Marlborough Pinot Gris 2021 / 0 View / November 2, 2022
Posted: November 2, 2022
Offering very easy drinking, this hand-harvested wine is scented and full-bodied, with strongly varietal, pear and lychee flavours, hints of lemons and apples, and an off-dry, smooth finish. $30 (A)
Comments Off on Bald Hills Kirameki Central Otago Pinot Gris 2021 / 0 View / November 2, 2022
Posted: November 2, 2022
Drinking well now, this full-bodied wine has generous, ripe, peachy, spicy flavours, a hint of ginger, and a basically dry finish, fresh and crisp. $23 (A, UK)
Comments Off on Awatere River Marlborough Pinot Gris 2020 / 0 View / November 2, 2022
Posted: November 2, 2022
This single-vineyard wine is attractively scented and strongly varietal. Full-bodied, it has vibrant pear, lychee and spice flavours, fractional sweetness, and excellent depth, delicacy and harmony. Best drinking 2024+. $24
Comments Off on Zephyr Marlborough Pinot Gris 2022 / 0 View / November 2, 2022
Posted: November 2, 2022
Revealing good delicacy and richness, this very youthful wine was grown at Queensberry (62%) and Alexandra (38%), and partly (42%) fermented in old barrels. Bright, light lemon/green, it is fresh and full-bodied, with vigorous pear, lychee and spice flavours, showing…
Comments Off on Wild Earth Central Otago Pinot Gris 2022 / 0 View / November 2, 2022
Posted: November 2, 2022
Still unfolding, this lively, full-bodied wine has very good vigour and depth of fresh, ripely herbaceous flavours. Best drinking mid-2023+. $22
Comments Off on Whitehaven Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2022 / 0 View / November 2, 2022
Posted: November 2, 2022
Full of youthful vigour, this mouthfilling, clearly varietal wine has good intensity of passionfruit and lime flavours, crisp and dry. (From Pegasus Bay). $22 (A, UK)
Comments Off on Main Divide North Canterbury Sauvignon Blanc 2022 / 0 View / November 2, 2022
Posted: November 2, 2022
This highly distinctive wine was estate-grown in the lower Awatere Valley and handled without sulphur, using green tea as a natural antioxidant. Certified organic, it is light gold, full-bodied and fleshy, with ripe, tropical fruit flavours, showing good intensity, and…
Comments Off on Loveblock Tee Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2021 / 0 View / November 2, 2022
Posted: November 2, 2022
Certified organic, this estate-grown, single-vineyard wine was grown at Dillons Point. Bright, light lemon/green, it is mouthfilling, with very good intensity of vigorous, ripely herbaceous flavours, fresh, crisp, dry and lingering. Best drinking mid-2023+. $25
Comments Off on Zephyr Organic Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2022 / 0 View / November 2, 2022
Posted: November 2, 2022
Unfolding well, this estate-grown, organic Awatere Valley wine was mostly handled in stainless steel tanks, but 35% was fermented in clay amphorae, oak barrels and concrete eggs. Bright, light lemon/green, it has good personality, with mouthfilling body, strong, ripely herbaceous…
Comments Off on Loveblock Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2021 / 0 View / November 2, 2022
Posted: November 2, 2022
This distinctive, complex, wood-aged wine is full-bodied and finely textured. Sweet-fruited and savoury, it has deep, ripe, tropical fruit flavours, finely integrated oak and a dry, lasting finish. Best drinking mid-2023+. $32
Comments Off on Zephyr Mk111 Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2021 / 0 View / November 2, 2022
Posted: November 2, 2022
Bright, light lemon/green, this classic, Rapaura district style has a ripely herbaceous bouquet. Full-bodied, it has concentrated, tropical fruit flavours, deep and dry, balanced acidity and a lively, lasting finish. $25
Comments Off on Stoneleigh Rapaura Series Single Vineyard Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2022 / 0 View / November 2, 2022
Posted: November 2, 2022
Showing strong personality, this vigorous, single-vineyard wine was estate-grown in the Wairau Valley and partly (15%) fermented in old French oak barrels. Bright, light lemon/green, with a fragrant, inviting bouquet, it is mouthfilling, with rich, ripe, tropical fruit flavours, showing…
Comments Off on Clos Henri Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2021 / 0 View / November 2, 2022
Posted: November 2, 2022
This classy young wine has strong personality. Grown at three sites in the Awatere Valley, it is invitingly aromatic, racy and intense, in a strongly varietal style with tropical fruit and herbaceous flavours, finely poised and lingering. $23 (A, UK,…
Comments Off on Awatere River Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2022 / 0 View / November 2, 2022
Posted: November 2, 2022
Delicious now, this distinctive, single-vineyard wine was fermented and matured for 18 months in a 2,500-litres oak cuve. Bright, light lemon/green, it is savoury, with an invitingly fragrant, complex bouquet. Tightly structured, it is medium-bodied, with very fresh, vigorous, ripely…
Comments Off on 3sixty2 Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2019 / 0 View / November 2, 2022
Posted: November 2, 2022
Spicy pear-like aromas with light toasty element and good depth of stonefruit flavours.
Comments Off on Totino Wines Altezza Adelaide Hills Pinot Grigio 2021 / 0 View / November 2, 2022
Posted: November 2, 2022
Still fresh for a three-year old with classic lime marmalade aromas and flavours.
Comments Off on Totino Wines Classic Range Adelaide Hills Pinot Grigio 2019 / 0 View / November 2, 2022
Posted: November 2, 2022
Bright citrusy fruit intensity with obvious oak and starting to show some toasty age complexity.
Comments Off on Coughlan Estate Geographe WA Semillon 2020 / 0 View / November 2, 2022
Posted: November 2, 2022
Savoury nose showing a smoky element with nice balance between red fruits and tannins.
Comments Off on McPherson Don’t tell Gary Central Vic Shiraz 2020 / 0 View / November 2, 2022
Posted: November 2, 2022
Buttery peach bouquet and creamy oak dominated palate with nice purity of fruit.
Comments Off on McPherson MWC Goulburn Valley Chardonnay 2022 / 0 View / November 2, 2022
Posted: November 2, 2022
Bright red wine with a fresh berry bouquet and a mid-weight palate full of fleshy fruit flavours.
Comments Off on McPherson MWC Central Vic Shiraz Mourvedre 2020 / 0 View / November 2, 2022
Posted: November 2, 2022
A solid chocolaty style of merlot with good berry fruit backbone and silky smooth in the mouth.
Comments Off on Watkins Mad Cousins Series Wavemaker Langhorne Creek Merlot 2021 / 0 View / November 2, 2022
Posted: November 2, 2022
Fresh lifted raspberry fruit characters with good tannin structure. Should develop nicely with time.
Comments Off on Watkins Mad Cousins Series Ruscello Langhorne Creek Sangiovese 2021 / 0 View / November 2, 2022
Posted: November 2, 2022
A big wine with dark blue fruits layered with meaty/licorice complexity and chewy tannins.
Comments Off on Watkins Sibling Series Langhorne Creek Shiraz 2021 / 0 View / November 2, 2022
Posted: November 2, 2022
Black cherry nose with hints of violets. Savoury palate with light herbaceous characters.
Comments Off on Watkins Sibling Series Langhorne Creek Grenache 2022 / 0 View / November 2, 2022
Posted: November 2, 2022
Savoury nose with a spicy lift. Rich and rounded in the mouth and full of fruit flavours with drying tannins.
Comments Off on Viveur Limestone Coast Shiraz 2021 / 0 View / November 2, 2022
Posted: November 2, 2022
Aromatic floral nose with a pretty floral palate that’s lifted, fresh and layered with a tight acid backbone.
Comments Off on Berrigan Wines Shining Rock Adelaide Hills Gruner Veltliner 2022 / 0 View / November 2, 2022
Posted: November 2, 2022
A lovely smooth blackcurrant driven nose with a reasonable depth of bright red fruit flavours with a licorice-like thread on a big, full and nicely weighted palate.
Comments Off on Berrigan Wines Shining Rock Adelaide Hills Shiraz 2021 / 0 View / November 2, 2022
Posted: November 2, 2022
Smells like a plum fruitcake with a mint edge and has a complexity of fruit cake-like flavours with massive tannins. Still youthful needs more time.
Comments Off on Watkins Heritage Series Adelaide Hills Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 / 0 View / November 2, 2022
Posted: November 2, 2022
Pleasant blackcurrant-like aromas and flavours with savoury and earthy complexity.
Comments Off on Uleybury Mt Lofty Ranges Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 / 0 View / November 2, 2022
Posted: November 2, 2022
Rich ripe dark fruit aromas lift off the nose with gentle oak nuances and luscious black and red berry fruit flavours with mocha notes and great tannins.
Comments Off on Uleybury Mt Lofty Ranges Shiraz 2020 / 0 View / November 2, 2022
Posted: November 2, 2022
Velvety floral fragrances with a massive full flavoured palate and a background of oak. Good commercial style.
Comments Off on Tempus Two Copper Barossa Valley Shiraz 2021 / 0 View / November 2, 2022