Winemaker Kevin Judd makes one of Marlborough's best Chardonnays every year and this one is full bodied with intense ripe flavours of grapefruit, burnt orange and white nectarine, which mingle with savoury aromas of smoked almonds, hazelnut meringue and the heady fragrance of freshly cut hay. The mealy savouriness carries through onto a rich, textural palate, evidence of this wine?s low-intervention winemaking. An intricate bone-dry style that is highly concentrated with a distinct flintiness, tight structure and crisp citrussy finish.

This Syrah shows dark fruit with a touch of cracked pepper and soft, approachable tannins on the palate. This wine is supple and well balanced, and will continue to develop for 4-6 years in the cellar.

A deliciously fragrant Marlborough pinot ? juicy blackberries, blueberries and the sweet aroma of homemade strawberry jam, intermingled with more savoury suggestions of black olives, cedar and a hint of lavender. Its ethereal but finely structured palate has concentrated varietal character that combines red and black fruit with earthy, smoky nuances.

Something a little unusual from Marlborough. Originally from North-eastern Italy, this tiny parcel was sourced from the Stanley Estate plantings in the Awatere Valley. It shows dark fruit characters, a little Awatere spice and a fresh, lively acidity. It's a slightly more robust red than our usual Pinot Noir and a great match with a big steak over the open grill this winter.

Harvested, crushed and then fermented in small batches in oak cuves to add complexity. The ferments are hand plunged, skin contacted post-fermentation, gently pressed and then aged in a 20/80 blend of new/old French oak barriques for ten months prior to blending and bottling in late summer.

Eye - Dark deep purple

Nose - Blueberries and Blackberries with a savory dried herb note

Taste - Blackberries and savory dried herbs support bold tannins combining fruit and oak with a wild gamey character.

Barrel aged for 12 months in French oak  

14.5%

Classy fruit-forward Pinot grown on Upper Moutere clay. The elegant nose offers wild red fruits and brambles that lead to a seductive, feminine palate layered with fine tannins and lifting acidity. 

A cheeky 'n cheerful Pinot Noir which over delivers on all counts. Nor Wester Pinot is named after the eponymous dry north west wind that blows through North Canterbury's vineyards, often decimating bunches of grapes and ensuring that those remaining can develop thicker skins than Pinot Noir usually has. This can help to define the earthy flavours and impressive structure of the wines made in this region and, even at this relatively humble price, quality remains surprisingly high. 

Nor' Wester is a blend of grapes from the region, fermented in small batches with daily hand plunging and aged in French oak for 10 months. It's a very similar style to Greystone Pinot Noir, only it's not a 100% estate grown wine.

It offers outstanding value for money with delicious drinking now and potential to hold.

About Greystone

The Greystone wine story began in 2000 when the Thomas Family bought an old sheep farm on the Omihi hills in the Waipara Valley, North Canterbury. The rolling limestone hills lured this family in and their goal was a single minded one: to make great wines from the limestone rich soils here. Fast forward 20 years and Greystone is one of the great (and, some might say, yet to be fully discovered) wineries in this outstanding wine region. Not least due to the work of winemaker Dom Maxwell and general manager Nick Gill, who began working together in 2005 and has grown along with the brand and quality. 

Mt Difficulty Pinot Noir is regarded as an icon Pinot Noir from the world's southernmost wine region, the dramatically beautiful mountainous, Central Otago. This wine is made by the Dicey family, one of the first to plant grapes in Bannockburn, south of the Kawarau River. Their pioneering work in this region triggered rapid expansion in the area's modern wine history.

This wine is dry with powerful fruit driven flavours and a smooth, approchoable style, even when this wine is youthful. It drinks well now and can age for a further four to five years. 

Winemaker Sam Weaver describes The Abyss Pinot Noir as an iron fist in a velvet glove. It's made with grapes grown on a hillside vineyard, which backs onto a precipitous cliff, hence the name, The Abyss. Vines were planted here in 2000 at a high density of approximately 5000 vines to the hectare, which is unusual for New Zealand. All of these grapes are 100% certified organic with BioGro New Zealand and also grown biodynamically. A high proportion of whole berries were included in the ferment with indigenous yeasts and the wine was aged in French oak barrels for 18 months with a modest 10% new oak.

Churton Estate founder and winemaker Sam Weaver cut his teeth on the classic wines of the world while working in fine wine retail in the United Kingdom. He and his wife Mandy Weaver then moved to New Zealand and set about creating one of this country's most focussed small wineries; a brand that does live up to the dream of creating 100% estate grown grapes, 100% certified organic production and 100% bottled on site, nearly all of the wines without fining or filtration. All the grapes are hand picked and natural yeasts ferment the vast majority of wines they make. These qualitative decisions impact every step of their winemaking in a positive fashion, providing exceptional quality grapes which in turn express themselves in outstanding wines.

Here's a Chardonnay with the Midas touch; it's big, it's smooth and it's creamy as anything with all the bells and delicious whistles that Chardonnay lovers enjoy. It's  made with grapes grown on the Howell's Vineyard in Hawke's Bay, a site that seems to provide the magic ingredients of deliciousness in a wide range of varietals grown on it. 

South Island Chardonnay is on a roll as this tasty drop from Mt Maude in Central Otago shows. Winemakers Sarah Kate and Dan Dineen use hand picked grapes from 27 years old vines to make this dry full bodied, creamy smooth wine. 

The grapes are foot stomped, basket pressed, fermented with indigenous yeasts, and the wine is aged in seasoned French oak to produce what they describe as a seamless wine. We agree. 

Try it. 

Mount Beautiful by name and by nature, this full bodied, peachy South Island Chardonnay is beautifully balanced by freshness and acidity of flavours of red apple, stone fruits and nectarines, leading to a creamy, textured palate that is medium bodied. Flavours include layers of buttered brioche and the wine finishes clean and crisp with flint-like minerality.

Whitehaven Wines began life in 1994 as a romantic business for a couple of corporate escapees, Sue and Greg White, who had given up life in the rat race of Auckland for another kind of life aboard their yacht. When sailing around the country, they took shelter in the Marlborough Sounds from Pacific storms and fell in love with the region. An easy thing to do when harbouring in the spectacularly pristine waters of the Sounds. They decided to settle there on terra firma once more and try their hands at wine production, hiring a winemaker and beginning a business which has now been around for 26 years. Greg has sadly passed away now, leaving a legacy as well as his wife and daughter, Sam, to run the winery. Their winemaker is Peter Jackson.