From the winery...

Our Mackenzie William Riesling is named after our eldest grandson. Our Eden Valley Riesling is delicately picked from our longstanding vines planted in the 1960s, and 1980s, and from our cherished, deep-rooted 1890s vines – believed to be some of the oldest in Australia. Each batch of fruit bestows its unique attributes, creating quintessential Eden Valley citrus and minerally characteristics which our region is so well known for, and a complexity that ensures our dry style’s impressive length of finish.

Bodegas Roda is completely new to New Zealand this year, 2023, and is also a fabulously modern expression of traditional Spanish grape varieties which express themselves in bold red fruit flavours here with the support structure of firm smooth tannins, spicy complex aromas and depth. The blend is 94% Tempranillo,  4% Garnacha and 2% Graciano, all grown on bush vines between 15 to 30 years of age.
Fermentation and ageing was in large French oak vats for 12 months. Stabilisation was natural with egg white used for fining. 

This is a great wine from relatively youthful vines in Spanish terms. It drinks well now and has fabulous structure to age further.

From Mullineux...

The Swartland is blessed with an abundance of old vine Chenin and we use this as the backbone of our white blend. We then add several small parcels of Mediterranean varieties for complexity, balance and aromatic lift. The grapes come from vineyard parcels in different parts of the Swartland:  the stony Shale and Schist based soils of the Kasteelberg,  the decomposed Granite of the Paardeberg and the rolling, iron-rich hills west of Malmesbury.

Fermentation is in barrel with indigenous yeasts and the wine is aged for 11 months in French oak barrels, 20% new.

TASTING NOTES
Pale straw in colour, this wine has a nose of ripe, green citrus fruit and Christmas spices. The palate is fresh and richly textured, with notes of ripe pears, almonds and peaches, and a clove-like finish. Best served at about 12 ?C, this wine will show optimally when decanted in the first 3 years after bottling.

Bodegas Roda produces fabulously modern expressions of traditional Spanish grape varieties which express themselves in bold red fruit flavours with the support structure of firm smooth tannins, spicy complex aromas and depth, in this case that blend is 93% Tempranillo, 4% Graciano and 3% Garnacha.
The grapes are grown on bush vines older than 30 years, mostly in Haro and its surroundings. The yields are low, which produces wines with rich concentration of flavour. The fermentation is in French oak vats equipped with temperature control, followed by a malolactic fermentation in French oak barrels for 14 months. A further ageing of 22 months in bottle enabled the wine to mature before release. 

Precious little of this lovely Gamay was made from a vineyard of just 1386 vines of Gamay in Northburn, Central Otago. This equates to 0.33 hectare. What this wine lacks in volume, it more than makes up for in high quality.
It?s a wonder that Gamay is only just beginning to be recognised as the plush little sister to Pinot Noir and here is another small volume, top notch example from Central Otago, which proves the point with its lush mouth feel and lively fresh dark fruit flavours.  

New wave Australian white which is a funky field blend of Gewürztraminer, Riesling and Kerner, which has deep aromatic flavours of Turkish Delight, lime zest and acidity to burn. This adds great length of flavour to every succulent sip. 

Kumeu River Pinot Noir and Chardonnay blend together to create a deliciously dry and perfectly pink crémant. The aromas of summer sparkle from the glass, freshly picked strawberries and white stone fruit build the texture and mouth feel we really enjoy from our Kumeu Crémant.

The perfect aperitif for the festive season.

Fontana Bodegas, who produce this wine, is based in Castilla la Mancha in Central Spain, and the grapes for this cheeky quaffer are sourced from the municipality of Uclés. where they grow at a height of 700-900 metres. The winemaking team consists of oenologist Tomás Buendia and New Zealand based Master of Wine Sam Harrop, and their aim is to produce wines that offer an interesting modern take on local wine traditions, giving both a sense of place and remarkable value.

This is an elegant example of dry Muscat, showing the freshness and balance of high altitude vineyards. Pale, bright yellow, intensely aromatic and expressive on the nose, with aromas reminiscent of lychees, grapefruit and rose petals. Light bodied and very fresh on the palate, with the intense fruit perfectly balanced by the crisp acidity and a dry, mineral finish.

Great Chilean Cabernet from a classic and highly respected producer, Montes Alpha. This wine has layers of bold fruit flavours and complex spicy, cedar aromas adding density and power to the wine, which spent 12 months ageing in new French oak. 

Montes Alpha is one of Chile's most successful wineries, producing a wide range of wines and styles from the Colchagua Valley and further afield.

It is great to have this exceptional producer's wines in store at Regional.