Paulownia Estate Wairarapa Riesling 2014 $18 Golden in the glass and showing some classic dry riesling aromatics of apple and lime, toast and honey, however, it’s begun to lose its mid-palate freshness. Broadening out in the mouth, unfortunately. It’s an ok thing to drink, but sadly not as vibrant as I’m sure it once was. […]
Paulownia Estate Wairarapa Riesling 2015 $18 Fans of riesling that rolls on the dry side of the disco floor need to hurtle on over to the glass cabinet and pour themselves a splash of this asap. With classic lime and creamed honey notes on the nose, on the palate it becomes lovely and lean and […]
Paulownia Estate Wairarapa Riesling 2016 $18 It’s a smash-up of citrus and beeswax and ripe limes drizzled with honey and mandarin juice and how good does that sound! Probably as good as it tastes. Four years on and it’s really beginning to come into its own with a full, creamy character in the mid-palate and […]
Matahiwi Estate ME Wairarapa Pinot Gris 2020 $13 If you’re looking for a burst of sweet florals, peachy punch, apple, pear and yellow plum notes – then the tribe has spoken! No frills, fresh and fabulous, this is a dangerously sippable, neat-as-a-pin, plucky little pinot gris that’ll wow the crowds. http://www.matahiwi.co.nz
Matahiwi Estate ME Wairarapa rosé 2020 $13 For starters the colour of this rosé is BEYOND glorious. How to describe it? It almost glows in the dark, it’s so luminously pink, it’s practically Pantone 673. Scented with creaming soda, candy floss and raspberry buns and delectably dry on the palate. Raspberry, cherry, white pepper and […]
Fans of discovering all that’s new and groovy in the local wine scene will want to fill their boots with the newest little hero in the Wairarapa, Lime Hill. It’s a small but perfectly formed joint wine venture of Karl Johner of Johner Estate in Gladstone with his winemaker Raphael Burki. Located on a hillside […]
Fans of discovering all that’s new and groovy in the local wine scene will want to fill their boots with the newest little hero in the Wairarapa, Lime Hill. It’s a small but perfectly formed joint wine venture of Karl Johner of Johner Estate in Gladstone with his winemaker Raphael Burki. Located on a hillside […]
Matahiwi Holly South Series Wairarapa Chardonnay 2019 $24 Matahiwi means ‘raised ridge’ in Maori, and it’s named for the landform on Paierua Road where the vineyard and winery are located. ‘Holly’ is a wine that I eagerly anticipate every year because it indicates a step up from Matahiwi’s normal chardonnay (and they’re always pretty impressive […]
Cottier Gladstone Pinot Noir 2016 $28.50 Grown on that famous stretch of Wairarapa wine country, Dakins Road, this pinot noir captures the classic liquorice character which glows in many Gladstone district examples. It boasts an earthy backbone, loads of savoury character and a tonne of spice to cloak powdery tannins. Cherry and wild rhubarb dominate […]
Matahiwi Wild Holly Pinot Noir 2019 $45 (to be released) Crafted by winemaker Ben McNab, this new vintage of the ‘Wild Holly’ is a step off the footpath and into the rugged, tufty, terrain on the outside of the norm. Whole clusters of hand-harvested berries were sorted, gently transferred to an open-top fermenter, then punched-down […]