Previous Specials

2005 Muga Riserva Rioja

muga, Rioja, Spain

A classic bottle aged Rioja."70% tempranillo, 20% garnacha and the rest mazuelo and graciano) Bright ruby. Vibrant, seductive perfume of black raspberry, powdered rose, anise and minerals. Weighty but lively cherry and dark berry flavors are brightened by zesty minerals, picking up a candied licorice quality with aeration. The finish repeats the deep dark berry note and leaves exotic flowers and minerals behind. Very elegant wine that suavely blends richness and finesse"92/100 Tanzer "One of my favorite Rioja estates, Bodegas Muga continues to fashion traditionally made cuvees, but also has a foot in the future." R.Parker. This wine is a blend of 70% Tempranillo, 20% Granacha and 10% Mazuelo y Granciano. " It delivers an alluring nose of cedar, tobacco, earth notes, mineral, and black cherry. This is followed by an elegant wine with good depth and enough ripe tannin to evolve for several years. Nicely balanced and long in the finish, it will be at its best from 2012 to 2020 if not longer."90/100 Parker

2008 Coopers Creek Chalk Ridge Hawkes Bay Viognier

Coopers Creek, Auckland, New Zealand

Elsewhere this is $24. Gold and Trophy at the International Aromatic Competition. Try this beautiful wine instead of a sauvignon or pinot gris- you wont reget it and its not often we can offer a good quality viognier at this remarkable price. This indigenous grape variety from the Northern Rhone Valley in France produces rich and exotic wine. Viognier is a low acid variety so the palate is broad, rich and weighty with aromas of apricots and flowers. The fruit for this wine is sourced from the Chalk Hill block just to the south of Havelock North. It is so named due to the amount of fractured limestone in the soil profile. It is a very steep vineyard and is very difficult to work (too steep for even a tractor). The vineyard faces due north and is very warm during the day.

2008 Coopers Creek 'Little Rascal' Gisborne Arneis

Gisborne & Hawkes Bay - Other, Gisborne & Hawkes Bay, New Zealand

Elsewhere $23. Gold and Trophy at the Aromatics Show. An ancient variety grown near Alba in Piemonte (northwest Italy). Recently saved from extinction by a few notable Barolo (Nebbiolo) producers. Arneis is sometimes referred to as Barolo Bianco although never labeled as such. Difficult to grow, "Arneis" in the regional dialect means "little rascal." It is often used as a blender to soften tannins in the red wines of the area, much as the French use Viognier in the Northern Rhone. "Richly scented and mouthfilling, it is powerful and vibrant, with refreshing acidity. The flavours are concentrated, citrusy and spicy, with hints of herbs and almonds." A charming aperitive and sipping wine and a good companion for shellfish and fish. Try something new in kiwi whites.

2009 Dry River Craighall Martinborough Riesling

Dry River Wines, Wairarapa/Wellington, New Zealand

"Winemaker Neil McCallum believes that, in quality terms, Riesling is at least equal of Pinot Noir in Martinborough. His Craighall Riesling, one of the finest in the country, is a wine of exceptional purity, delicacy and depth, with a proven ability to flourish in the cellar for many years. The grapes are sourced from a small block of vines, mostly 15 to 20 years old, in the Craighall Vineyard, with yields limited to an average 6 tonnes per hectre, and the wine stop fermented just short of dryness." M.Cooper

2009 Dry River Martinborough Gewurztraminer

Dry River Wines, Wairarapa/Wellington, New Zealand

"This intensely perfumed and flavoured Martinborough Gewurzztraminer is one of the country's finest. Medium-dry or medium in most years, in top vintages it shows a power and richness comparable to Alsace's vendange tardive ( late harvest ) wines. Always rich in alcohol and exceptionally full-flavoured, it is also very deliccate, with a tight, concentrated, highly refined palate that is typically at its most seductive at two to four years old, although it can mature well for more than a decade." M.Cooper

2008 Peregrine Central Otago Pinot Gris

Peregrine, Central Otago, New Zealand

Gold Medal and Trophy for Best Pinot Gris at the Aromatics Show and Gold Medal at the NZ International Wine Show. The 2008 vintage was a very good harvest for Pinot Gris with well balanced fruit a good varietal definition.All the fruit was carefully hand harvested, destemmed and crushed prior to gentle pressing. A portion of the fruit was left in the press with skins and juice together for 14 hours to help extract varietal character from the skins. The resulting juice was cool stainless steel fermented to retain fruit character. The wine was left on yeast lees for two months to help with mouth feel and complexity.The resulting wine abounds with pear, red apple and stonefruit. It is well balanced, luscious and mouth filling with great persistence

2008 Barraud Pouilly Fuisse "les Crays"

Daniel Barraud, Burgundy, France

Due end May. Book now. "(from 60+ year old vines located in Vergisson). "Purity of expression seems to be a consistent theme with the Barraud '08s and this is no different with its elegant, ripe and broad ranging aromas that include a touch of wood, spice notes, wet stone and both white and yellow fruit (though nothing exotic) that marry into rich, concentrated and full-bodied flavors that really stain and coat the palate on the wonderfully persistent finish."91-93 Burghound

Mixed Half Case "Barrauds Chardonnays"

Due end May. Book now. 2 bottles of the St Veran, 2 btls of the Pouilly en France, 1 btl of the Pouilly La Roche and 1 btl of the Pouilly Les Crays

2008 Dry River Martinborough Pinot Noir

Dry River Wines, Wairarapa/Wellington, New Zealand

Undisputabely one of New Zealand's best and hardest to find Pinot Noirs. Because of their minimal production and huge national and international reputation their pinot noir always sells out very quickly so we are very excited to be able to offer this small amount for sale. "Dark and densely flavoured, this Martinborough red ranks among NZ's greatest Pinot Noirs. It's striking depth, says winemaker Neil McCallum, comes from 'getting the grapes really ripe' and 'keeping the vines' crops below 2.5 tonnes per acre. It is grown in three company -owned vineyards- on the Martinborough Terrace, and 90% of the vines are over 20 years old. " M.Cooper

2009 Te Mata Zara Viognier

Te Mata Winery, Gisborne & Hawkes Bay, New Zealand

Since 1995, Te Mata Estate has pioneered New Zealand’s production of viognier, a rare white grape from France’s Rhône Valley. Fermented in barrel, it displays the floral, white peach and honey characters found in the fi nest examples of this entrancing variety. Zara is affectionately named after Zara Buck, the fi rst born child of the third generation of Te Mata Estate’s Buck family. Zara spent her childhood playing amongst the vines at the vineyard which is home to this delightful viognier.