Kumeu River Estate Chardonnay 2019
A year on from release, the Estate has developed beautifully. With a slightly reductive opening on the nose, that then shows roast cashew, lemon rind, peach, golden apple and grapefruit, …
Read MoreMonth: June 2021
Winemaker series: Kyle Thompson
An excellent evening (at First Glass Wines and Spirits in Takapuna) was had recently, tasting some of the current wines from St. Clair in Marlborough with Senior Winemaker, Kyle Thompson. …
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Saving Grace Dry Riesling 2019
Waipara Hills upper tier range – Saving Grace – and a varietal that is renowned for being a star of the North Canterbury region. Palest green-yellow in the glass, with …
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Jackson Estate ‘Vintage Widow’ Pinot Noir 2012
The 2015 vintage of this wine was the Trophy Winner at IWSC in 2019 (effectively being judged as the Best Pinot Noir in the World!). Medium depth garnet ruby red …
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Johanneshof Noble Late Harvest Riesling 2018
Trophy-winning dessert wine at the Royal Easter Show Wine Awards in 2021. A rose and butterscotch colour in the glass, with vibrant aromas of honey, golden peach, cherry, lemon thyme, …
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Johner Estate, Wairarapa
Late afternoon, I drive down to the end of Dakins Road in Gladstone and spend an hour at the Cellar Door of Johner Estate. This was a place suggested to …
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Te Awanga ‘One Off’ The Foudre Chardonnay 2019
An elegant, but taut nose showing restrained notes of white peach, mandarin, roast cashew, grapefruit pith and oatmeal, with wood smoke and elderflower. Medium bodied and still tight across the …
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Villa Maria Single Vineyard Seddon Pinot Gris 2020
A single vineyard wine from the Seddon Vineyard in Marlborough’s Awatere Valley. Great looking lemon-green in the glass, with a nose of white peach, pear, nutmeg, mandarin peel and ginger. …
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Reports on the 2021 vintage
Looking at some of the figures released recently about the 2021 vintage – overall harvest was down 19% across the country, although Central Otago recorded an increase of 21%. This …
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Winemaker series: Marion Deimling
On my first ‘proper’ field trip to Wairarapa, I had a day in Martinborough to talk to a few of the producers. There’s a lot more to come from more …
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