Merlot, Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon combine in this outstanding full bodied dry and powerful blend, which is made from hand picked grapes grown in the Gimblett Gravels Winegrowing District’s Cornerstone and Ngakirikiri vineyards. 

The grapes were fermented with wild yeasts, which provides diverse depth and flavours to the wine, which has flavour notes of black olives, dried herbs and black currant notes. The wine was aged in French oak for 20 months and bottled unfiltered, which accentuates its gritty, smooth, powerful cedar notes.

Here is a wine for the long term cellar... Or decant and enjoy now.

WINEMAKING NOTES

This wine was made from grapes grown on the sandy silty top terrace of the Askerne vineyard. The grapes were fermented in open top tanks with inoculated yeast to bring out the best of the Barbera aromatics.  Gentle hand plunging was used for extraction, and the wine was then held on skins for an extended period of 3 weeks of post ferment maceration for tannin development. The wine was then pressed and racked to French oak barriques where it was aged for 9 months. The final blend has a 25% new oak component.

ANALYSIS

pH 3.87

TA 5.6 g/l

Alcohol 13.5 %

TASTING NOTES

Fragrant with aromas of sweet plum spice, tart blackberry, cherry, and subtle notes of star anise. Delicious with juicy acidity and fine tannins, on a palate full of concentrated tart berry fruit flavours.

Guilhem Durand, together with his consultant Claude Gros (who looks after some of the best Domaines in the Languedoc) have really refined Chateau la Bastide into delicious wines of great value.


The 70-hectare vineyard is southeast facing on chalky clay soil with alluvial gravel covering much of the topsoil and large round stones covering the best vineyard area. 80% Syrah, Grenache and Carignan Vieilles Vignes (some up to 120 years old) at 38 hl/ha in the hands of Guilhem Durand make Chateau la Bastide a wonderful mouthful of extraordinary good value. All the wines are made and matured in a mixture of cement and stainless steel tanks.

A fruit forward wine with just the right amount of tannic structure, backed up with spice and some firm toasty wood flavours in the background.

Grape 50% Merlot, 50% Cabernet Sauvignon

Food match pepper steak, duck salad, game dishes"

14% ABV

This is the top wine of this old estate in Chateauneuf du Pape, produced from a single block of their oldest vines, many of which being over 100 years old.  Very concentrated and hedonistic wine.  100% Grenache,  undergrowth, truffle, toast, light notes of vanilla; red fruit: redcurrants, raspberries, sour cherries, maintaining a fresh acidity and endless length. The complexity of a fine Pinot Noir but the power of a mighty Rhone wine.

Chateauneuf du Pape is definitely the most famous and arguably the most prestigious of the Southern Rhone 'Cru' wine appellations, covering 3,200 hectares of vines across 5 communes (about three times the size of Martinborough).

Wine was made here from Roman times, but became famous with the Papacy in town and beyond to royal courts. The best vineyards are on gentle hill slopes, with deep clay & limestone soils with large rounded river stones 'galets' on top. By rules inacted in the 1920s, no vineyards were to be planted on land that was not arid enough to support plantings of both lavender and vines.

Domaine Juliette Avril is a family winery of four generations in the heart of Chateauneuf town - growing for centuries in the region and helped to create the rules of the appellation in 1928.  The vineyards are the classic mix of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre, and small amounts of the other 10 grape varieties permitted. An impressive half of the vines are over 50 years old.

Winemaking

Temperature controlled ferment in steel, aged in high quality demi-muid (600L) barrels for 12 months, with a light filtration.  The top wine of the estate - from a single estate of old vines.

The Saumur Champigny Terres Chaudes Rouge is a red wine from the controlled designation of origin of the Loire Valley. It is a blend of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes grown on a clay-limestone soil.

Tasting
The Saumur Champigny Terres Chaudes Rouge has aromas of red fruits and spices, with a hint of licorice. It is structured with ample and fleshy tannins. This wine goes perfectly with red meats, saucy dishes, and aged cheeses.

Terroir and Winemaking
Domaine des Roches Neuves practices organic farming to cultivate its vines, which is beneficial for the environment and biodiversity. The grapes are harvested by hand before being rigorously sorted. The winemaking process takes place traditionally with prolonged maceration and aging in tanks and oak barrels for several months. This method produces a powerful and elegant wine that reflects the richness of its terroir.

In the vineyard :
Surface: 1,57 Ha

Exposure: Lower slopes/Multiple exposures

Soil Type: Clay/Limestone

Grape variety: Chardonnay

Size Mode: Single Guyot /Poussard

Growing method: FR-BIO-01 organic certified

Soil cultivation: Straddle ploughing

Harvest: Manual

Year of planting: 1960/1976/1982/1986/2012

Grown on 3 hectares facing south, this white Mercurey is a subtle blend of grapes harvested from several parcels thriving on clay-limestone soils, including Les Montots and Bussière. Exceptionally light, supple and fragrant, it offers a less mineral but equally subtle tasting experience than our Clos Rochette.

VINEYARD
Area : 3 ha 03 [7,49 Acres]
Planting years : 1984, 1988, 1991, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022

TASTING
Elegant aromas of fruit and flowers prevail on the nose. It is well balanced and pleasantly fresh on the palate. A pleasant wine best enjoyed chilled as an aperitif or with a meal.

WINE MAKING

Fruit was sourced from three sites in the Wairau Valley.  60% of Clones 95 and 40% of Mendoza were used.  No sulphur was added to the juices at the point of extraction which then were fermented spontaneously in a combination of seasoned French oak (90%) and stainless steel (10%).  

TASTE

Aromatics of ripe yellow citrus, nectarine and brioche.  A finely textured palate with an array of flavours from Meyer lemon to stone fruits with a lively acid to savour.

FOOD MATCH

All kinds of soft cheeses, white meats and rich seafood such as koura (crayfish) and smoked warehou.  

ACID: 6.5 g/l
pH: 3.48
ALC: 13.0%

A light and dry sake fermented with our brewery's own Hanbei yeast, Gokai's flavors come to life when warmed.

SMV: +4 / Acidity: 1.3 

15% ABV

100% Sangiovese harvested by hand
Selection of the best grapes from all our vineyards.
Fermentation: Cement and open bins
Maceration; 40-60 days
Aging: 18 months, 10% in large barrels (Stockinger), the rest in concrete and steel vats.

This wine is for us the most refined expression of Tenuta di Carleone. Driven by terroir and will age fantastically!

A lovely ripeness and aromatic impact, scents of fresh quince and pear then apple and fruit spices. Youthful, vibrant and enticing. On the palate a dry wine with flavours of pomaceous fruits framed by lees and mineral qualities, there’s youthful tautness that gives a palate squeeze and crunch. Salivating, lengthy and well made, a reflection of vintage and excellent wine making. Best drinking from day of purchase through 2028.

93 Points Excellent
Cameron Douglas, Master Sommelier

Aromatic Pinot Gris is a real treat when it’s as dry and fresh as this vibrant, young white from Blue Earth Estate in Te Muna Valley. All grapes were hand picked and the wine was fermented to less than 1 gram of residual sugar, which makes it absolutely bone dry in taste and style. Flavours of white pears, fresh crisp red apples and a little citrus all run through each sip. Drinks well now and can hold for a further three to four years, evolving in that time but it’s made to enjoy now, so why wait? Joelle Thomson

"Once upon a time, a bee (or two) went from the flowers of a Cabernet Franc vine to the flowers of a Sauvignon Blanc vine, and a seedling child began to ripen inside the mother grapes. Then came war, and the vineyard was abandoned. Years later, the vintner returned to his land and found a new vine. He tasted the grapes and fell in love. It was Cabernet Sauvignon. Our allegory of the vines as animals gives a whimsical rendering of the story. The fox - Cabernet Franc - has attributes of Cardinal Richelieu, the first famous lover of the said grape. The siren - part woman, part bird - represents Sauvignon Blanc in all her savage glory. On the right, their
child - Cabernet Sauvignon- is depicted as a world traveller, adventuring from the French Pyrenees to the Catena Zapata pyramid, at the foothills of the Andes, in Argentina."

James Suckling 96 points