Prophet Rock’s flagship Pinot Noir – Sourced from their ‘Home Vineyard’ on a steep, elevated terrace in the Bendigo sub-region of Central Otago. Here, altitude, climate, soils and meticulous viticulture combine to produce Pinot Noir with stature and concentration. Careful cellaring will reward collectors over the next 10+ years.

This is a great red from a small wine producer just outside the village of Clevedon, in the rolling green hills southeast of Auckland. It's an unlikely destination for a top red as there are few other vineyards in the area, which is warm with a maritime climate - the coast can be seen from the vineyard and is about a 10 minute drive away.  

The wines are made solely from estate grown grapes from the four acres on site, which include Merlot, Carmenère, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Cabernet Franc. This bunch of classic Bordeaux red grapes inspired founder Judy Fowler to make wines modelled on the great reds of Pomerol and St Emilion in Bordeaux. The first wines were made in 1999 and continue to be produced on site by Judy, her partner Phil Nunweek and winemaker Evert Nijzink.  

This deliciously innovative red wine works well when lightly chilled. It is made in the style of a chillable reds by Jenny Dobson, who says it's her experimental new take on Merlot, made to taste plummy and juicy with earthy notes and a freshness that makes it taste ideal when served lightly chilled. Pronounced dark fruity aromas leap out of this wine, which was given approximately 10% carbonic intracellular fermentation, which lifts its perfumed flavours. A lovely take on Merlot…
The Hawke’s Bay winemaker also produces an outstanding 100% dry Merlot made in a deeper, richer style, which is impressive now and also a keeper for cellaring.

Amisfield Winery is based in Pisa while its beautiful cellar door shop and restaurant overlook Lake Hayes, just outside of Queenstown.

This winery makes a more diverse range of whites than most in Central Otago and the Pinot Gris is a light bodied, refreshing expression of this white grape from a cool climate. Spice, fresh fruit and a long finish all make this an extremely good quality Pinot Gris.

Albarino is a lively Spanish white wine from Galicia in north west Spain; the region also known as green Spain because it has a higher than typical rainfall for that country. This may be why Albarino has adapted so well to New Zealand’s maritime climate and this bright and tasty wine comes from a small, sheltered vineyard in the Upper Moutere hills of Nelson, where cool nights preserve the acidity that drives every succulent sip.

"Albarino is lively, like the Spanish people; lemony, punchy, aromatic and layered..." says winemaker Trudy Shield. 

And what's not to love about all that. 

Pale pink, classic Pinot Noir rose colour. Lifted floral nose of rosewater and strawberry. The palate mixes crunchy red delicious apple, ripe raspberry and cream before finishing dry. Limited supply, will sell out fast. 

Chardonnay is the world's most popular and widely consumed white wine, often referred to as the red drinker's white of choice, and it's New Zealand's third most popular grape variety. It thrives in this country's climate, making a wide range of styles, including this full bodied, creamy and fresh dry Chardonnay from Marlborough. A stunner at this price and fab value for money.

Fruity dark flavours and uber complex in taste, this new Gamay from Dicey offers a spectrum of blackcurrant fruit flavours and impressive depth of flavour from 16% whole bunch fermentation while the majority (84%) of fruit was destemmed. Wild yeast fermentation and natural malolactic fermentation were followed by ageing in old oak barrels (considered neutral in terms of flavour).

The wine was bottled unfined and unfiltered. 

A complex aroma of black plum and cocoa, black olive, with fine cedary notes and hints of leather, star anise, clove and aromatic spices. The palate is plush and rich, with seamless tannins and concentrated black Doris plum flavours, complex spice notes and a long savoury finish. This wine will improve with cellaring.

Hieronymus is a blend of grapes and of vineyards and is composed of 41% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Merlot, 17% Cabernet Franc, 12% Malbec and 8% Tempranillo with 58% from the Gimblett Gimblett and 42% from the Bridge Pa Triangle.

Grapes were harvested in three separate hand picked lots and fermented separately in oak cuves, then drained to barrel without pressing. The wine was aged for 26 months in 50% new French oak.

The wine's name pays homage to an ancestor of the winery's owners, the Weiss family.

This Cabernet Malbec is made up of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Cabernet Franc. The varieties were hand-picked, de-stemmed and fermented separately in small open topped vats where they were gently hand plunged and pumped over to aid in extracting the maximum amount of flavour and colour from the berries. Following an extended maceration period the wine was transferred into French oak barrels where it spent 11 months.

This is a dark and brooding beast with fruits of the forest including Black Doris plum and spiced cherry. It is rich and powerful on the palate with a silky mouthfeel and well-pitched tannins. Attractively rounded with upfront fruit flavours this wine is very attractive now but will certainly reward with time in the cellar. Drink now through till 2030.

Outstanding Pinot Noir from one of Martinborough's first wineries, Nga Waka; a small company with new owners and the same winemaker - founder and former owner, Roger Parkinson. This spicy, full bodied, darkly fruited wine is as elegant as it is power packed with flavour and beauty. It drinks beautifully now and is a definite keeper for at least five years. 

This wine is made using 16% whole bunch fermentation to add structure and accentuate spicy flavour notes with 20% new oak for support rather than dominating the delicate fruit flavours in this excellent expression of Wairarapa Pinot Noir. 

Commercial description

The ancient, dark-skinned grape variety from Georgia delivers wines that command attention and, at our tiny yield level, devotion. At such concentration, Saperavi with its natural high level of fruit sugar, tannin and acidity turns in a seductive powerhouse like no other wine. Complex, multi-dimensional, structured, and elegant - a wine to truly cherish.

This wine will bring the most critical wine lover to wine heaven. The gorgeous intense, inky colour metamorphoses into a savoury lusciousness. One of the tasting team called it a sexy Georgian in a glass. Deep, rich and packed with black fruit almost jumping out of the glass. Maturing in new barrels refined the powerful tannins to a classy elegance. Rich and complex, multi-layered with an staggering backbone of fruit, acidity and tannin, each sip giving you more and more pleasure. A dazzling wine experience for a wine to cherish. Tasted July 2022.

WINEMAKING NOTES

The fruit for this wine is a blend of Mendoza (42%), Clone 548 (24%), Clone 15 (21%) and Clone 95 (12%) grown on the sandy silt soils of the lower terrace of the Askerne vineyard. Hand-picked and whole bunch pressed, the juice was transferred to barrel for fermentation. The barrels were a mixture of both wild and inoculated ferments and completed 100% malolactic post ferment.  The wine was subsequently aged for 10 months with lees stirring to add volume and complexity. The final blend has a 29% new French oak component, and 15% 2nd fill.

ANALYSIS

pH 3.43
TA 5.4g/L
Alc 13.5%
RS 2.6g/L

TASTING NOTE

Sweet scented with peach, lemon and hints of tropical pineapple, layered with complex notes of coconut, honied nuts and baked fruits.  The palate has wonderful concentration with tropical and stonefruit flavours on a backbone of rich oak spice and vibrant citrus acidity giving generous length.

AWARDS

Silver NZIWS

93 Points Wine Orbit