Mount Edward Central Otago Pinot Blanc 2009
As the workhorse variety of Alsace, Pinot Blanc is the most useful wine of this fairytale region of France. In its lesser form, the wine is earthy, coarse and rustic; but when grown in favourable sites and made by the hand of a good vigneron, Pinot Blanc can rise to the quality of top Pinot Gris. This 2009 Mount Edward is the second vintage from Duncan Forsyth, made from fruit grown in the ‘L’Attitude’ vineyard in Lowburn, the cuttings originating from Larry McKenna’s vineyard in Martinborough. It is nearly identical to the superb inaugural 2008 wine at 13.0% alc and 11 g/l rs. This off-dry style has great class with its beautiful, mineral aromas and succulent white peach flavours on a softly crisp and refreshing palate. There is finesse and delicacy here which lends the wine to aperitif drinking, or as a match with seafood and poultry. This will drink well over the next 3-4 years. Only 85 cases made.

Pyramid Valley ‘Hille’ Marlborough Semillon 2007
Talented winemakers Mike and Claudia Weersing, at Pyramid Valley in North Canterbury, search out plots of exceptional fruit from vineyards around the country, and make some particularly funky and very interesting wines under their ‘Growers Collection’ label. The ‘Hille’ Semillon is their interpretation of the modern Graves style of white Bordeaux, a style of wine that is superb with rich and creamy-sauced white meats, and one that has longevity. The wine was made from 95% Semillon and 5% Sauvignon Blanc grapes from 20 y.o. vines, harvested at 3.2 tonnes per acre from this Brancott Valley vineyard. The fruit was hand-picked in four passes through the vineyard and fermented with indigenous yeasts to 13.5% alc. and 2.4 g/l rs. Undergoing 100% MLF, the wine spent 15 months in 50% new French puncheons. Powerfully constructed with great intensity of sweet herbs and citrus fruit flavours, the wine is tight and bracing, brash and still somewhat raw, with strong oak overtones. Experience suggests that the wine becomes accessible and enjoyable from three years of vintage. It should keep and develop for a further 4-6 years easily. 450 cases made.

Esk Valley Hawke’s Bay Verdelho 2009
The Verdelho variety is best-known for its role in making fortified wine on Madeira, the famous Portuguese island in the Atlantic. However, some very attractive-drinking table wines have been made from Verdelho, close to home, in Western Australia and the Hunter Valley. In New Zealand, Esk Valley and Gordon Russell have championed it, producing a dry style in 2002. Since then, it has become a cult wine. The Esk Valley wine is sourced from the Omahu Gravels and Joseph Soler vineyards in Hawke’s Bay, cropped low to ensure concentration in the wine. Partially barrel-fermented with wild yeasts, the wine is 13.5% alc. and 5 g/l rs. Full-bodied and dry, the wine has softly, rich and striking tropical fruit, musk and citrus zest aromas and flavours with racy acidity providing excellent line and length through the palate. I can attest to how well it accompanies seafood and Asian cuisine!

Millton Vineyard Gisborne ‘Muskats @ Dawn’ 2009
Grown nearly everywhere and able to be molded into multitude of styles, from crisp, dry white to dark deep brown-coloured fortified stickies, the Muscat grape is easily misunderstood. The reality with Muscat is that there are a large number of variants, and great care and precision is required to make high quality wine, no matter what the style, from the variety. James and Annie Millton in Gisborne have made their ‘Muskats @ Dawn’ in the delightful Moscato d’Asti style made by artisan winegrowers in Piedmont, north-west Italy. The parallel is obvious; the Milltons are true artisan winegrowers too, taking great care in all they do, as demonstrated by their biodynamic principles. This is elegant and gentle at 10.0% alc., but also decadent and exotic with its grapes-galore, melon, white peach flavour burst and rich 46 g/l residual sugar. The wine has vinous presence and is a fabulous summer refreshment for sure. Certified Organic, and suitable for vegan consumption.