New Zealand

2009 Kidnapper Cliffs Hawkes Bay Malbec

Very few straight Malbec's are availble in NZ. This is a cracker. "A bold and decadent wine that will be a sure crowd-pleaser, this has an impenetrable, youthful, black-purple red colour and a sensational bouquet packed with boysenberry and ripe, spicy black fruits, along with black florals and perfumes. This has plump, dense, ripe black fruits that explode and fill the mouth. Boysenberries, spicy raspberries and dark plums with red liquorice are all present in a near accessible, relatively open and broad palate, compared to the Kidnapper Cliffs’ Bordeaux varietal wines. Yet fine tannins here provide great style and length of line. 100% Malbec from ‘Zone 2’ Kidnappers block in the Gimblett Gravels. Aged 12 months in 25% new French oak 300L hogsheads. 200 dozen made. Drink over the next 8-10+ years with venison and game meat. 19.0/20." Raymond Chan- senior wine judge. Also 94/100 from Wine Orbit Magazine

2010 Blackenbrook Nelson Sauvignon Blanc

"Blackenbrook is small ( 4 hectares ) and new ( first wine from 2004 ), so its hardly surprising it's little known outside Nelson. Swiss owners Daniel and Ursula Schwarzenbach have the meticulous approach to winemaking for which their countrymen are famous, while Daniel has some serious winemaking experience under his belt. He has worked for top producers in Austria, Germany, Switzerland and France, and has judged wine at competitions in Switzerland, France, Germany and China. Its greatest strengths are pinot gris, gewurztraminer, riesling, sauvignon blanc and chardonnay. Quality has crept up in recent years and if it continues, Blackenbrook has a very bright future." Bob Campbell "The 2010 is a basically dry style. Mouthfilling and sweet-fruited, it is punchy, limey and slightly minerally, showing good freshness and liveliness and a crisp, long finish." M.Cooper

2011 Mt Difficulty Roaring Meg Pinot Gris

One of Metro Magazine's 100 Wines for Summer "The spicy, perfumed nose is unusual, and attractive, while the mouthfeel is surprisingly well textured for the price, and the finish is good. A fresh, off-dry wine for everyday drinking". Also Gold at Air NZ and Trophy at NZ International Wine Show

2009 Blackenbrook Nelson Gewurztraminer

Normally $29. Here's a grape variety that is so often overlooked but with its beautiful perfume and capacity to enhace our Asian styled cooking its well worth drinking good examples. Because of its thin skin and difficulties in handling good gewurtz. at the right price is hard to find but with Blackenbrooks winemaker having worked in Alsace for many years this certainly reflects in the quality of this wine. "Delicious now, this Alsace-style beauty has a fullbloomed fragrance and peachy, spicy flavours, gently sweet, rounded and rich. 4 1/2 Stars M.Cooper. Made from sustainable fruit, low yielding hand picked fruit, gavity feed and no filtration. Bliss

2009 Blackenbrook Reserve Chardonnay

Just released and long awaited- none was made in 2008. This is one of those creamy smooth classic chardonnays we are so often asked for. This winery knows how to make this style as the winemaker used to be chief winemaker at Seifreids who won countless awards for this style. A single vineyard growen on the Moutere clays. Hand picked, hand sorted, gravity feed, 12 mths barrel aging, 100% malolactic fermentation. "After ageing for 12 months in new French 500 Litre barrels, this is an attractively opulent wine with sizzled butter, bran biscuit and toasted nut flavours adding complexity to citrus and pineapple characters. The wine is built for ageing and we recommend to enjoy it between now and 2014.

2009 Wooing Tree Central otago Chardonnay

2011 Two Rivers Convergence Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc

Normally $24. 95/100 from Bob Campbell, Gold Medal International Wine & Spirit Competition, Gold Medal NZ International Wine Show. "Powerful wine with focused, linear flavours. Strong mineral, nettle, green capsicum notes with an influence of passionfruit. Juicy acidity helps drive a lengthy finish. A blend of Awatere and Wairau fruit." Bob Campbell.

2010 Cloudy Bay Marlbourgh Sauvignon Blanc Magnum

With the larger sized bottles keeping wine fresher these magnums are drinking beautifully. A great present or for the dinner party, we grabbed a small parcel of these with open arms. "N.Z.'s most internationally acclaimed wine is highly sought after from Sydney to New York and London.

2008 Kumeu River Hunting Hill Chardonnay

"The 2008 Hunting Hill Chardonnay comes from a vineyard just across from the winery, also planted to Clone 5. It’s a slightly cooler site with an iron pan running beneath the vineyard. This is the third vintage of this label. Made in a similar fashion to the Coddington Chardonnay, this wine gives powerful lime/lemon aromas with some grapefruit zest and orange blossom plus a whiff of chalk. Very crisp, intense and silky, this is a more restrained, tight-knit expression leaving a very long mineral and citrus zest finish. Built for the cellar, this wine should be best 2014 to 2019+. Around 1000 cases were made." 93+/100 Robert Parkers Wine Advocate

2011 Eradus Awatere Sauvignon Blanc