Posted: April 4, 2017
This carbonated sparkling is just what you would expect – very fresh and lively, with tropical fruit and herbaceous flavours, gently sweet, smooth and tasty. Good summer sipping.
Comments Off on Saint Clair Vicar’s Choice Bubbles Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2015 / 0 View / April 4, 2017
Posted: April 4, 2017
This full-bodied and fresh, slightly sweet wine was grown at Alexandra. Lightly scented, it has attractive, lemony, appley, gently spicy flavours, with earthy notes adding a touch of complexity.
Comments Off on Ruru Central Otago Gewurztraminer 2015 / 0 View / April 4, 2017
Posted: April 4, 2017
From a hillside vineyard in Northland, this youthful wine is mouthfilling and rounded, with ripe peach, apple and pear flavours. It’s not a complex style, but shows good freshness, vigour and depth.
Comments Off on Longview Estate Unoaked Chardonnay 2014 / 0 View / April 4, 2017
Posted: April 4, 2017
Crafted for easy drinking, this is a medium to full-bodied wine, gently sweet, with ripe, peachy, slightly spicy flavours, showing good depth. It’s enjoyable now.
Comments Off on Brancott Estate Hawke’s Bay Pinot Gris 2014 / 0 View / April 4, 2017
Posted: April 4, 2017
Balanced for easy drinking, this is a mouthfilling wine with fresh, ripe, tropical fruit flavours, lively acidity and good depth. Certified organic.
Comments Off on Walnut Block Collectables Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2015 / 0 View / April 4, 2017
Posted: April 4, 2017
A fruit-driven style, this blend of merlot (79%) and cabernet sauvignon (21%) was ‘aged with premium French oak’. Full-coloured, it is mouthfilling, with some savoury complexity and very good depth of fresh plum, blackcurrant and spice flavours. Best drinking mid-2016+.
Comments Off on Sacred Hill Reserve Hawke’s Bay Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 / 0 View / April 4, 2017
Posted: April 4, 2017
Enjoyable young, this is a moderately complex style with mouthfilling body and fresh, ripe, peachy, slightly toasty flavours. Likely to be at its best mid-2016 onwards, it shows very good depth and harmony.
Comments Off on Sacred Hill Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2015 / 0 View / April 4, 2017
Posted: April 4, 2017
Scented and fleshy, this full-bodied wine is a dryish style, with good depth of fresh, youthful, peachy, citrusy flavours, and a well-rounded finish. Best mid-2016+.
Comments Off on Obsidian Waiheke Island Pinot Gris 2015 / 0 View / April 4, 2017
Posted: April 4, 2017
Already enjoyable, this scented, mouthfilling wine was grown at Rarangi, on the Wairau Valley coastline. Vibrantly fruity, it offers good depth of peach, pear and slightly spicy flavours, fresh and finely balanced. Priced right.
Comments Off on Invivo Marlborough Pinot Gris 2015 / 0 View / April 4, 2017
Posted: April 4, 2017
Weighty and smooth, this ripe, tropical fruit-flavoured wine has melon and passionfruit notes to the fore, with a touch of herbaceousness. Fresh, lively and dry, it’s priced sharply and offers good value.
Comments Off on Haha Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2015 / 0 View / April 4, 2017
Posted: April 4, 2017
This deeply coloured red is fragrant, vibrantly fruity and supple, with fresh, ripe plum and black pepper flavours, gentle tannins, and lots of drink-young appeal.
Comments Off on Church Road Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2013 / 0 View / April 4, 2017
Posted: April 4, 2017
This bright pink, estate-grown wine is cabernet sauvignon-based. A medium-bodied style, it is vibrantly fruity, with good depth of fresh, berryish flavours, hints of strawberries, apricots and spices, and an off-dry finish.
Comments Off on Brick Bay Matakana Rosé 2015 / 0 View / April 4, 2017
Posted: April 4, 2017
Fragrant, mouthfilling and supple, this deeply coloured red is sweet-fruited, with generous plum and spice flavours, ripe and smooth. Enjoyable young, it offers fine value.
Comments Off on Brancott Estate Hawke’s Bay Merlot 2014 / 0 View / April 4, 2017
Posted: April 4, 2017
Grown at Kerikeri, in the Bay of Islands, this mouthfilling, sweet-fruited wine was partly (40 per cent) fermented with indigenous yeasts in French oak casks. It has good body and depth of ripe, tropical fruit flavours, showing a touch of…
Comments Off on Byrne Northland Sauvignon Blanc 2015 / 0 View / April 4, 2017
Posted: April 4, 2017
This Northland wine is weighty and fleshy, with ripe stonefruit flavours, seasoned with toasty oak. Made in an upfront style, it is creamy-textured, with very good body, complexity and depth.
Comments Off on Bent Duck Bay of Islands Chardonnay 2014 / 0 View / April 4, 2017
Posted: April 4, 2017
Certified organic, this is a mouthfilling wine with youthful, citrusy flavours, hints of apples, pears and spices, and a dryish, tightly structured finish. Still youthful, it should be at its best mid-2016+.
Comments Off on Aurum Central Otago Pinot Gris 2014 / 0 View / April 4, 2017
Posted: April 4, 2017
Fresh and lively, with an inviting, light pink hue, this is a medium-bodied style with strawberryish flavours, hints of peaches and plums, appetising acidity and a smooth finish.
Comments Off on Ant Moore Central Otago Rosé 2015 / 0 View / April 4, 2017
Posted: April 4, 2017
Estate-grown and hand-harvested, this attractively scented wine is fleshy and vibrantly fruity, with fresh pear, lychee and spice flavours, slightly peachy and spicy notes, gentle acidity and a dryish, smooth finish. It’s an excellent, all-purpose wine.
Comments Off on Terra Sancta Mysterious Diggings Central Otago Bannockburn Pinot Gris 2015 / 0 View / April 4, 2017
Posted: April 4, 2017
Drinking well from the start, this is an aromatic, freshly herbaceous wine with good intensity of melon and green capsicum flavours, a slightly minerally streak and a crisp, dry, lingering finish. Fine value.
Comments Off on Saint Clair Vicar’s Choice Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2015 / 0 View / April 4, 2017
Posted: April 4, 2017
Grown in the lower Wairau Valley at 0.5 metres above sea level (hence the ‘Point Five’ in the name), this is a mouthfilling, rich, vibrant wine with fresh, concentrated melon/capsicum flavours, already very open and expressive.
Comments Off on Saint Clair Pioneer Block 25 Point Five Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2015 / 0 View / April 4, 2017
Posted: April 4, 2017
This deeply coloured red was hand-picked and barrel-aged. A mouthfilling, generous wine, it has concentrated plum, pepper and spice flavours, in a clearly varietal style with gentle tannins and lots of drink-young appeal.
Comments Off on Sacred Hill Halo Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2014 / 0 View / April 4, 2017
Posted: April 4, 2017
This pale pink, delicious summer wine was made from pinot noir, grown at Alexandra. Very fresh and vibrant, it has strawberry, peach and slight apricot flavours, a sliver of sweetness and appetising acidity. Full of charm.
Comments Off on Ruru Central Otago Rosé 2015 / 0 View / April 4, 2017
Posted: April 4, 2017
Enjoyable from the start, this is a fleshy, ripe style of sauvignon blanc. Mouthfilling, it has generous, tropical fruit flavours, with a hint of passionfruit, and a well-rounded, dry, lingering finish.
Comments Off on Renato Nelson Sauvignon Blanc 2015 / 0 View / April 4, 2017
Posted: April 4, 2017
This is a ‘serious’ style of rosé – full-bodied and dry. Merlot-based, with a pink/pale red hue, it is fleshy and vibrantly fruity, with finely balanced acidity and generous, ripe flavours of berries and spices.
Comments Off on Obsidian Waiheke Island Rosé 2015 / 0 View / April 4, 2017
Posted: April 4, 2017
From a small, single-variety vineyard, this full-bodied wine has ripe pear, lychee and spice flavours, showing excellent vibrancy, delicacy and depth. Finely poised, with a dryish, well-rounded finish, it should be at its best mid-2016+.
Comments Off on Morepork Vineyard Northland Pinot Noir 2015 / 0 View / April 4, 2017
Posted: April 4, 2017
Drinking well in its youth, this fleshy, supple red was grown at Bannockburn. Full, bright ruby, it is attractively scented, with mouthfilling body, very ripe cherry, plum and spice flavours, a hint of licorice, and good complexity. A powerful wine,…
Comments Off on Invivo Michelle’s Central Otago Pinot Noir 2014 / 0 View / April 4, 2017
Posted: April 4, 2017
This full-bodied, dry wine was estate-grown in the cool, elevated Matapiro district. Vibrantly fruity, it is a ripely herbaceous style with passionfruit, peach and lime flavours, balanced acidity and good intensity. Drink now-2017.
Comments Off on Church Road Hawke’s Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2015 / 0 View / April 4, 2017
Posted: April 4, 2017
Delicious young, this pink/pale red wine was blended from merlot, syrah, cabernet sauvignon and malbec. Mouthfilling, it has strong red berry/plum flavours, with hints of strawberries and spices, and excellent freshness, delicacy and depth.
Comments Off on Church Road Hawke’s Bay Rosé 2015 / 0 View / April 4, 2017
Posted: April 4, 2017
Offering fine value, this youthful wine is mouthfilling and smooth, with ripe stonefruit flavours, slightly toasty and buttery, and good complexity, depth and harmony. It’s still unfolding; drink now or cellar.
Comments Off on Church Road Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2015 / 0 View / April 4, 2017
Posted: April 4, 2017
Full of flavour and interest, this pink-hued wine was made from syrah. Mouthfilling, it is buoyantly fruity, with strong strawberry and spice flavours and a dryish finish. A good ‘food’ wine.
Comments Off on Byrne Northland Rosé 2015 / 0 View / April 4, 2017
Posted: April 4, 2017
Youthful, crisp and tightly structured, this is a full-bodied wine with generous passionfruit and lime flavours, very fresh and punchy.
Comments Off on Brightwater Vineyards Nelson Sauvignon Blanc 2015 / 0 View / April 4, 2017
Posted: April 4, 2017
Already delicious, this deep ruby red is fragrant and supple, with fresh, generous cherry, plum and spice flavours. Matured in French oak barriques, it’s full of charm, with some aging potential.
Comments Off on Brightwater Vineyards Nelson Pinot Noir 2014 / 0 View / April 4, 2017
Posted: April 4, 2017
This ageworthy red is deep ruby and mouthfilling, with strong plum/spice flavours, earthy, savoury, nutty notes adding complexity, and a firmly structured finish. Best drinking 2017+.
Comments Off on Bald Hills Single Vineyard Central Otago Bannockburn Pinot Noir 2013 / 0 View / April 4, 2017
Posted: April 4, 2017
This fleshy, weighty wine is very fresh and vibrant, with strong peach, lychee, pear and spice flavours, showing good delicacy and purity, and a dryish finish. Best drinking mid-2016+.
Comments Off on Bald Hills Central Otago Pinot Gris 2015 / 0 View / April 4, 2017
Posted: April 4, 2017
Delicious young, this very pale pink wine is attractively scented and mouthfilling, with strong strawberry, peach and spice flavours and a fully dry, well-rounded finish. Certified organic.
Comments Off on Aurum Rosé Central Otago Pinot Gris 2015 / 0 View / April 4, 2017
Posted: April 4, 2017
Already drinking well, this creamy-textured wine was fermented with indigenous yeasts and barrel-aged for 16 months. Light lemon/green, it has strong, citrusy, appley, slightly peachy flavours, showing good complexity, balanced acidity, and a rounded, lingering finish. Best 2016-17.
Comments Off on Aurum Central Otago Chardonnay 2014 / 0 View / April 4, 2017
Posted: April 4, 2017
Certified organic, this weighty, finely textured wine was hand-harvested and fermented partly with indigenous yeasts. Sweet-fruited, it is mouthfilling and dry, with excellent delicacy and depth of fresh, tropical fruit flavours, balanced acidity and a smooth finish. A very harmonious…
Comments Off on Walnut Block Nutcracker Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2015 / 0 View / April 4, 2017
Posted: April 4, 2017
Highly scented, this is a mouthfilling wine with penetrating, ripe melon, capsicum and lime flavours. Slightly peachy and salty, it is very fresh, harmonious and lingering.
Comments Off on Saint Clair Pioneer Block 20 Cash Block Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2015 / 0 View / April 4, 2017
Posted: April 4, 2017
Showing excellent depth, this is a very aromatic, fresh and vibrant, intensely varietal wine. Mouthfilling, sweet-fruited and smooth, it has tropical fruit flavours, a herbaceous undercurrent, and a dry, persistent finish.
Comments Off on Saint Clair Pioneer Block 3 43 Degrees Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2015 / 0 View / April 4, 2017
Posted: April 4, 2017
This flavour-packed, fine-value wine is from sites in the lower Wairau Valley. Mouthfilling, it is vibrantly fruity, with strong melon, passionfruit and lime flavours, a slightly ‘salty’ streak, and excellent harmony and length.
Comments Off on Saint Clair Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2015 / 0 View / April 4, 2017
Posted: April 4, 2017
Dark and youthful, this mouthfilling red has concentrated, well-ripened plum, spice and black pepper flavours. Vibrant, with good density and supple, fine-grained tannins, it’s well worth cellaring.
Comments Off on Obsidian Waiheke Island Syrah 2014 / 0 View / April 4, 2017
Posted: April 4, 2017
Delicious now, this is a blend dominated by cabernet franc (36%), petit verdot (32%) and malbec (24%), with a splash of merlot. Still youthful, it is a graceful, concentrated, supple red, with strong blackcurrant, plum and herb flavours, seasoned with…
Comments Off on Obsidian Reserve The Mayor Waiheke Island Chardonnay 2012 / 0 View / April 4, 2017
Posted: April 4, 2017
Weighty and concentrated, this youthful wine has rich, ripe stonefruit flavours, overlaid with biscuity, nutty oak (French, 40% new), and a creamy-smooth texture. Powerful, with northern warmth and roundness, it should be at its best mid-2016+.
Comments Off on Obsidian Reserve Waiheke Island Chardonnay 2014 / 0 View / April 4, 2017
Posted: April 4, 2017
Grown at Bendigo, this mouthfilling, sweet-fruited, youthful red is built to last. Deep ruby, it is weighty, with dense, ripe cherry, plum and spice flavours, complex, savoury and firm. Best drinking 2017+.
Comments Off on Folding Hill Central Otago Pinot Noir 2013 / 0 View / April 4, 2017
Posted: April 4, 2017
This elegant red was grown and hand-picked in the Gibbston (principally) and Bannockburn sub-regions. Full, bright ruby, it is fragrant and supple, with strong, ripe cherry and plum flavours, a hint of dried herbs, good complexity, and a finely textured…
Comments Off on Coal Pit Tiwha Central Otago Pinot Noir 2014 / 0 View / April 4, 2017
Posted: April 4, 2017
This bargain-priced wine was estate-grown in the relatively cool, elevated Matapiro district. A powerful, Alsace-style pinot gris (14.5% alc/vol), it is fleshy, with concentrated, ripe, peachy, slightly spicy flavours, gentle sweetness and a rich, rounded finish. Delicious already.
Comments Off on Church Road Hawke’s Bay Pinot Gris 2015 / 0 View / April 4, 2017
Posted: April 4, 2017
This appetisingly crisp, mouthfilling wine has strong, ripely herbaceous flavours, showing a touch of bottle-aged complexity. Drinking well now but also ageworthy, it is sweet-fruited and tightly structured, with a lingering finish.
Comments Off on Brightwater Vineyards Lord Rutherford Nelson Sauvignon Blanc 2014 / 0 View / April 4, 2017
Posted: April 4, 2017
Finely textured, with a persistent finish, this is an instantly attractive wine. Hand-picked and made in a medium style (28 grams/litre residual sugar), it is still fresh and youthful, with concentrated, ripe peach, pear and spice flavours. Best drinking mid-2016+.
Comments Off on Brightwater Vineyards Lord Rutherford Nelson Pinot Gris 2014 / 0 View / April 4, 2017
Posted: April 4, 2017
Still very youthful, this fragrant, estate-grown wine was hand-harvested and fermented and matured for over a year in French oak barriques (25% new). Concentrated, with vibrant, peachy, citrusy, slightly biscuity flavours, woven with fresh acidity, and finely integrated oak, it…
Comments Off on Brightwater Vineyards Lord Rutherford Barrique Nelson Chardonnay 2013 / 0 View / April 4, 2017
Posted: April 4, 2017
Showing excellent cellaring potential, this deeply coloured red is mouthfilling, with youthful vigour and strong, ripe cherry, plum, spice and nut flavours. A stylish wine with integrated oak and good complexity, it should be at its best 2017+.
Comments Off on Bald Hills Single Vineyard Central Otago Bannockburn Pinot Noir 2014 / 0 View / April 4, 2017