Villa Maria Lightly Sparkling Rose 2017
Styled after an italian ‘frizzante’ wine, made from a mix of Merlot, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir juices, and given a gentle carbonated finish. A fresh rosehip colour with a lighter apricot colour around the edges, this wine shimmers in the glass with a sprightly froth of bubbles. On the nose you get strawberry and a light cassis with a definite floral top note. On the palate this is a fresh but distinctly dry wine, with a slight spiciness enriched with some grenadine and turkish delight flavours. A gentle 12% alcohol might suggest this is an ideal lunch tipple, or aperitif, and an excellent wine to match a range of foods. We tasted it with a wood smoked-bbq chicken and fennel salad, and it was mouth-wateringly good.
Terrace Edge Waipara Pinot Gris 2017
Certified organic, from a site in Waipara that’s also home to 2000 olive trees. A rich and spicy aroma with notes of honeysuckle and ginger to the fore. A slightly sweet-ish wine (14g/l), it’s been mostly barrique fermented in seasoned oak and then lees-stirred giving great depth and a distinctly creamy texture. The oak influence is just a minor layering and doesn’t interfere with the intensely ripe-fruited core of lychee, crisp pear and baked peach. A long, poised finish of great balance.
Craggy Range, Single Vineyard ‘Kidnappers’ Chardonnay 2016
A Te Awanga, Hawke’s Bay wine, from the Kidnappers vineyard. Quite pale and yellow coloured, it nevertheless has a complex bouquet that has floral and crisp-fruited notes. Notably Chablis-styled without an overt oak influence, it was however fermented partially in French cuves and puncheons, and then matured in 15% new oak. A medium-weighted palate of peach and candy apple flows over an intense line of chalky salinity. Balanced with a juicy acidity and a hint of butterscotch, this leads to a deep and rounded finish.
