Tag: marlborough

The Sauvignon Blanc grape traces its lineage to the historic vineyards of France’s Loire Valley, where it gained early recognition for its distinct aromatic profile and vibrant acidity. It is also one of two grapes, along with Semillon, which makes white Bordeaux blends. However, it was the New World wine regions that truly propelled Sauvignon Blanc to worldwide fame, reimagining…

Greywacke Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2021, New Zealand Choosing fruit grown across a smorgasbord of great sites in Marlborough’s Wairau and Southern Valley’s, this nighttime-harvested sauvignon was crafted in individual vineyard batches that were left on their yeast lees for 3months before the final blend was created then it was bottled in mid-August. This has added a creamy complexity to the…

Astrolabe Marlborough Pinot Noir 2018 Astrolabe’s owner and winemaker Simon Waghorn once had the ambition to be a seaweed scientist. I know. Just think, if he’d pursued a life aquatic, we’d never have pinot noir like this. It’s ok, I’ll give you a second to compose yourself. This 2018 vintage shows exotic aromatics, ripe cherry, wild strawberry and boatloads of…

Jules Taylor Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2022, New Zealand Whipcrack clean and precise, this sauvignon blanc from one of Marlborough’s most exciting producers is overflowing with herbaceous intensity, lime-licked layers, bruised basil and smoked passionfruit. Utilising fruit grown in the Taylor Pass, Lower Wairau Valley, Hawkesbury and Awatere sub-regions, it has a personality all of its own and sets itself apart….

Winemaking has been around for hundreds of years.  We are very familiar with wines coming from Europe, in particular France, where we talk about Bordeaux, Burgundy, and Champagne.  We typically call Europe the “Old World” wine region, while wines made from the southern hemisphere, are known as the “New World“, plus North America.  But where did the grapes come from…

One last suggestion for Valentine’s Day are these two Pinots from Marisco Vineyards from Marlborough, New Zealand: The Ned Pinot Noir 2019 and The Ned Rosé 2020. The Pinot Noir is a bit bigger than BC Pinots or from Burgundy, but it is very seductive. Reminds me more of a Pinot Noir from Oregon. That seduction may be what you…

Giesen Uncharted Marlborough Pinot Noir 2019 (NZ $27) This is one of those wines I keep buying and re-tasting and over the last year it’s just getting more and more delicious. Ultra-friendly, juicy and chock full of cherry and hedgerow berries. Sweetly spiced and softly smoky, it’s edged with cocoa and clove and finishes ripe and plump on the palate….

Mud House The Narrows Marlborough Pinot Noir 2020 (NZ $21.99) The ‘Narrows’ has fast become one of my favourite, best-value pinot noirs in the country. Highly complex, deeply fruity, dark, fulsome and supremely elegant” noted Yvonne, while Cameron loved its injection of cranberry, pomegranate and vanilla across its firm tannins. Marty agreed, “intensely aromatic and loaded with blue fruits”, it’s…

Greywacke Marlborough Wild Sauvignon 2018 (BC $47.99) If you’d like to sip more sauvignon, but don’t want to deal with all that grassiness and squinty acidity, then this is for you. Crafted by winemaking legend Kevin Judd, the ‘wild’ has an extra injection of toasty, slightly smoky, funky notes from fermentation with indigenous, or ‘wild’ yeasts in French oak barrels. …

Astrolabe Wrekin Marlborough Chenin Blanc 2018 (NZ $32) Simon Waghorn and his wife Jane Forrest-Waghorn set up Astrolabe in Marlborough back in 1996 after years of making wine in Australia and Gisborne. I love that they’ve taken a leap and planted Chenin Blanc because it produces an apple and honeysuckle-scented dry white wine that’s rarely seen in NZ. The 2018…