Posted: November 30, 2021
Bright ruby, this regional blend was matured in French oak barriques (10% new). Mouthfilling, it is moderately firm, with good depth of ripe cherry, plum, spice and nut flavours, showing considerable complexity. Best drinking mid-2021+. $26 (A, UK, US)
Comments Off on Lawson’s Dry Hills Marlborough Pinot Noir 2018 / 0 View / November 30, 2021
Posted: November 30, 2021
Fresh and lively, this medium to full-bodied red was matured in French oak barriques. Deep ruby, it has strong, plummy, spicy flavours, oak-derived complexity and a firmly structured finish. Open 2022+. $34
Comments Off on Obsidian Waiheke Island Syrah 2018 / 0 View / November 30, 2021
Posted: November 30, 2021
Looking for an excellent, bargain-priced pinot noir? Matured for nine months in French oak barriques, it is deep ruby, fresh and full-bodied, with a strong surge of plummy, slightly spicy flavours, gently seasoned with nutty oak, and a moderately firm…
Comments Off on Mount Riley Marlborough Pinot Noir 2019 / 0 View / November 30, 2021
Posted: November 30, 2021
Certified organic, this medium-bodied red is a blend of syrah (97%) and viognier (3%), hand-picked and matured for 19 months in French oak barrels (less than 10% new). Full, bright ruby, it is aromatic, with vibrant, plummy, well-spiced flavours, revealing…
Comments Off on Fromm Marlborough Syrah 2018 / 0 View / November 30, 2021
Posted: November 30, 2021
This quietly classy red was matured in French and American oak barriques. Full-coloured, with a fragrant, slightly coconutty bouquet, it is mouthfilling, with ripe plum and spice flavours, complex and savoury, fresh acidity and good tannin backbone. A youthful, very…
Comments Off on Obsidian Estate Waiheke Island Tempranillo 2019 / 0 View / November 30, 2021
Posted: November 30, 2021
Offering fine value, this ripely scented wine was hand-picked and fermented and lees-aged for eight months in seasoned French oak casks. Still very youthful, it is fleshy, with generous, tropical fruit flavours, showing excellent delicacy, slightly creamy and biscuity notes,…
Comments Off on Mount Riley 17 Valley Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2019 / 0 View / November 30, 2021
Posted: November 30, 2021
This very harmonious wine was hand-picked and fermented and matured in French oak barriques (30% new). Fragrant, with a slightly creamy, biscuity bouquet, it is mouthfilling and vibrant, with youthful grapefruit and peach flavours, showing excellent delicacy, a subtle seasoning…
Comments Off on Mount Riley 17 Valley Marlborough Chardonnay 2019 / 0 View / November 30, 2021
Posted: November 30, 2021
Still unfolding, this is a perfumed, weighty wine. It has vibrant pear, lychee and spice flavours, a touch of barrel-ferment complexity, fractional sweetness, and very good delicacy, harmony and length. Best drinking mid-2021+. $26 (A, UK, US)
Comments Off on Lawson’s Dry Hills Marlborough Gewurztraminer 2018 / 0 View / November 30, 2021
Posted: November 30, 2021
This youthful, softly mouthfilling wine was hand-harvested at a coastal vineyard in the Far North and barrel-aged. Pale straw, it is powerful, with concentrated, ripe flavours of peaches and pears, biscuity notes adding complexity, balanced acidity and a dry, long…
Comments Off on Dancing Petrel Paewhenua Island Mangonui Northland Viognier 2019 / 0 View / November 30, 2021
Posted: November 30, 2021
Likely to be long-lived, this Northland red was hand-harvested and matured in French oak casks (30% new). Deeply coloured, it is fragrant and mouthfilling, with concentrated, ripe, youthful flavours of plums and spices, a hint of herbs, good complexity and…
Comments Off on Dancing Petrel Paewhenua Island Mangonui Northland Cabernet Franc 2019 / 0 View / November 30, 2021
Posted: November 30, 2021
Certified organic, this highly approachable but still very youthful, supple red was harvested from vines planted in 1984 and matured for over 18 months in French oak barriques (30% new). Deeply coloured, it is perfumed, with concentrated, vibrant, blackcurrant and…
Comments Off on Stonecroft Reserve Gimblett Gravels Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2018 / 0 View / November 30, 2021
Posted: November 30, 2021
Exotically perfumed, this is a very rare wine – only 30 cases were produced. Straw-hued, with a hint of gold, it is powerful (15% alc/vol), with highly concentrated, youthful, peachy, deeply spicy flavours, hints of apricot and ginger, gentle acidity…
Comments Off on Stonecroft Old Vine Gimblett Gravels Hawke’s Bay Gewurztraminer 2019 / 0 View / November 30, 2021
Posted: November 30, 2021
This very youthful red was estate-grown at Lowburn and matured for 10 months in French oak barriques and cuves (partly new). Bright ruby, it is highly fragrant, with strong, ripe cherry, plum, spice and nut flavours, complex and savoury. Built…
Comments Off on Pyramid Valley Central Otago Pinot Noir 2018 / 0 View / November 30, 2021
Posted: November 30, 2021
Clearly a top vintage, this is a bold, well-structured, youthful red with full, bright colour. Sturdy, it is vibrantly fruity, with concentrated plum, blackcurrant and spice flavours, complex and savoury, good tannin support and obvious potential. Best drinking 2023+. $43
Comments Off on Obsidian Estate Waiheke Island Montepulciano 2019 / 0 View / November 30, 2021
Posted: November 30, 2021
Already delicious, this is a classy wine, priced sharply. Hand-picked and matured for 10 months in French oak casks (partly new), it is deeply coloured, finely scented, rich and supple. Powerful but not heavy, it is sweet-fruited, with strong plum,…
Comments Off on Mount Riley 17 Valley Marlborough Pinot Noir 2019 / 0 View / November 30, 2021
Posted: November 30, 2021
This powerful, young, single-vineyard red was hand-picked in the Cromwell Basin and matured in French oak barriques (38% new). Deep ruby, with a fragrant, very ripe bouquet, it is highly concentrated, with dense plum and spice flavours, a hint of…
Comments Off on Lowburn Ferry Homeblock Central Otago Pinot Noir 2017 / 0 View / November 30, 2021
Posted: November 30, 2021
Hunter’s new ‘icon’ sauvignon blanc was hand-picked from mature, low-cropped vines (6 tonnes per hectare) and partly (10%) fermented in seasoned French oak puncheons. Medium to full-bodied, it is intense, crisp and dry, with punchy, ripe passionfruit/lime flavours, vague toasty…
Comments Off on Hunter’s Home Block Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2019 / 0 View / November 30, 2021
Posted: November 30, 2021
This fragrant, powerful, very ageworthy red is a blend of five separately made, single-vineyard wines, matured for 16 to 18 months in French oak casks (less than 10% new). Deep ruby, it is sweet-fruited and savoury, with concentrated, youthful, well-ripened…
Comments Off on Fromm Cuvée ‘H’ Marlborough Pinot Noir 2018 / 0 View / November 30, 2021
Posted: November 30, 2021
From a variety that is well known in south-west France and Uruguay, this Northland red was hand-picked and matured in French oak casks (30% new). Powerful, with dark, bold, purple-flushed colour, it is densely packed, with plum, spice and liquorice…
Comments Off on Dancing Petrel Paewhenua Island Mangonui Northland Tannat 2019 / 0 View / November 30, 2021