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Recommended Wines >
Best Wines under $20
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Along with excellent Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, Black Estate have quietly been making a name for themselves as one of NZs absolute top Riesling producers. The wines are grown on the limestone soils of Waipara and made by the hugely talented Nicholas Brown. Of the 2008 vintage, Geoff Kelly wrote "Bouquet is simply sensational middle-Mosel riesling, in the style of a textbook label such as best Loosen Wehlener Sonnenuhr or nearby familiar label at a spatlese level. White florals abound, going as far as freesia notes, with holygrass, citric and vanillin qualities plus surely some botrytis to achieve such complexity, just beautiful. Palate is full, lovely pale stonefruits, spatlese sweetness confirmed, fine-grained acid, long, elegant, pure. This is superb riesling, by either German or New Zealand standards, one of the best ever made in this country." The just-released 2009 is in a similar style and just as impressive. Perfect for hot summer weather.
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This wine is made from fruit from the Cromwell basin (95%) and Gibbston (5%) sub-regions. The 2008 growing season was long with above average temperatures providing the perfect conditions for Pinot Gris.
Individual vineyard lots were kept separate and cool fermented in stainless steel vats to retain fruit character. The wine was then left to mature on yeast lees for two months to add extra mouth feel and complexity.
"A classic Central Otago Pinot Gris made in a style where maintaining fruit freshness was paramount. An elegant wine that delivers a palate reminiscent of ripe pears and stonefruit
Lovely drinking now, this wine will continue to develop and impress over the next few years."
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Made from handpicked fruit grown on Salvare's home block in Ngatarawa Road, Bridge Pa. This wine was cool fermented in stainless steel with extended time on yeast lees to create a rich, weighty wine, without any oak influence to detract from the pure Chardonnay fruit. Ripe stonefruit characters on the palate lead on to a crisp Chablis-like finish.
"Unlike most fruit-driven unoaked chardonnay this is restrained and elegant, with a hint of mineral and a crisp, dry finish" - Charmian Smith. Showcasing high quality, hand-picked Hawkes Bay Chardonnay, this is a great value unoaked Chard.
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Supreme value Tempranillo out of Navarra ( next to Rioja in Northern Spain ) "Deep ruby. Inviting aromas and flavors of raspberry, cherry and tobacco, plus a hint of dried rose. Sweet, silky and energetic, offering spicy red fruit flavors and gentle mineral lift. Finishes on a refreshingly bitter note, with good spicy persistence. This also delivers excellent bang for the buck." S.Tanzer. Hard to go past this for an everyday quaffer.
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Brought by the current owners in 1985 and completely renovated, this small, quality- driven producer is now making some of the best value wines in Bordeaux. The vineyard practice and winemaking is state of the art. A seductive blend of redominately Semillon with Sauvignon.
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Brought by the current owners in 1985 and completely renovated, this small, quality- driven producer is now making some of the best value wines in Bordeaux. The vineyard practice and winemaking is state of the art. A beautiful dry Bordeaux Rose
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From the famous region of Ribera Del Duero where Tempranillo has put this region on the world stage. This is 100% tempranillo. "Spicy redcurrant and cherry aromas are complicated by cracked pepper, violet and dried rose; very complex for its price point. Supple red fruit flavors are quite sweet, with no obvious tannins and gentle mineral lift on the back. An elegant, juicy style that finishes with very good clarity and persistence. This is a bargain."
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From Calatayud which is a high elevation area in Central North Spain. Made from predominately old vine grenacha ( grenache ) with some Tempranillo, Syrah and Cabernet adding complexity. To score a 92/100 from Tanzer at this price point is incredible value. "Deep, bright ruby-red. Sexy raspberry and blackberry preserve aromas are complicated by Asian spices, smoky minerals and fresh flowers. Suave and velvety, with deep, sweet flavors of red and dark berries, cherry-cola and candied rose. Supple tannins supply shape and gentle back-end grip. A very appealing wine: it would be no crime to drink this now." 92/100 Tanzer
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Elsewhere $33. Drinking superbly but still with plenty of go for another year or two. A terrific track record for this wine from Gimblett Gravels fruit and made by Tony Bish at Sacred Hill. M.Cooper writes - "Squawking Magpie is the label of Gavin Yortt, co-founder of the Irongate vineyard in Gimblett Rd, Hawkes Bay. Also grown in Gimblett Road. the 2006 is an elegant wine, crisp and tightly structured, with good intensity of ripe, citrusy, slightly buttery and biscuity flavours, dry and lingering." Also Bob Campbell writes -"Flavoursome, fruit-focused Chardonnay that cleverly uses subtle oak, sizzled butter and lees flavours to underpin fruit flavours without competing with them. A satisfyingly complex wine that's both strong and supple." Magnificant aged chardonnay buying.
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"From the Southern Region of Tuscany-an area known as Morellino di Scansano which gives its name to both a red grape ( a variety of Sangiovese ) and a wine in a distinctly modern, classy but easy-drinking style. The Moris Farms team is made up of first-class players. Andrea Paoletti, who looks after viticulture, and the distinguished oenologist Attilio Pagli, who watches over every phase of vinification. Our last tastings confirmed and reinforced our conviction that some of the most successful wines of the Maremma come from this lovely estate. This success consists not only in weight and concentration, but also notably in personality and style." Italian Wine Guide.
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