Great wine from a great vintage in Hawke's Bay, which translates into ripe, dark, spiced fruit characters in this Syrah, which forms part of the stable of wines in Church Road's 1 Series.  

Winemaker Chris Scott describes it as a "Wine built around a core of brambly dark berry fruit, carrying lifted aromatic notes of violets and mulling spices, along with complexities of new leather and subtle toasty, savoury oak undertones. The palate is fine and long with a fine grained tannin structure and excellent mid palate flesh giving a very even, long and seamless mouthfeel. While approachable now, good Hawkes' Bay Syrah will age gracefully for 20 years of more."

Here here. A keeper.

Enter a fabulous new favourite in store at Regions - Big Sky's take on the chillable red wine theme, bottled in perfect time for summer. Pinot Nouveau is a juicy, deep pink, youthful style of wine made from 100% Pinot Noir in a drink-me-now fashion to be served lightly chilled in a big glass on a warm evening - or a chilly one. 

Flavours of toasted sesame add complexity to the finish. 

Big Sky Wines takes its evocative name from the vast, star studded skies on Te Muna Road, Martinborough. This winery is owned by Jeremy Corban (yes, of the famous Corban winemaking family) and Katherine Jacobs. 

Martinborough Pinot Noir at its best with earthy aromas, dried red fruit flavours and freshness. Kereru is the brainchild of lawyer-winemaker, John Porter, who donates a portion of the proceeds from the sale of every bottle of Kereru Pinot Noir towards the upkeep and maintenance of a block of restored land with the aim of retaining its restoration into native forest for future generations.

This wine drinks beautifully now at seven years old and retains gorgeous bright fruit freshness with a core of savoury complexity and a long finish. We think it represents great value for money.

Impressive full bodied red blend, modelled on Bordeaux' great left bank wines, which, like this one, can age superbly for decades. Mission's Jewelstone Antoine is made entirely from grapes grown on the much reverred Gimblett Gravels Winegrowing District. The dark colour and blackberry, blackcurrant and plum flavours come from a blend led by 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Cabernet Franc and 15% Merlot. The winemaker is Paul Mooney - long term winemaker at Mission Estate - and he gave the finished wine 12 months of maturation in French oak, 60% new. Not that you'd know it. This beautifully balanced blend works superbly with this relatively high portion of new oak and tastes smooth, dark and impressively complex. Drinking beautifully now and can age superbly for up to a decade.

Champion Pinot Noir at the 2023 New Zealand International Wine Show - a big win for a small producer on Dublin Street in Martinborough, which is the new brand for the vineyard formerly known as Brodie Estate. 

This is a deep ruby hued Pinot Noir with complex layers of flavour of red fruit, hazelnuts, spice and a hint of cedar. Youthful and layered, it will age well, if you have the willpower. 

This is an outstanding wine and represents great value for money. 

Dublin Street has a new lease of life...

Eva and Ross Mackay own Dublin Street Wines in Martinborough village and have breathed new life into this old vineyard.

Eva and Ross were living in Australia prior to moving to Martinborough in 2019, making their first Pinot Noir in 2019 with a following wine in 2020. These two warm, dry, high quality vintages have been a positive start to their experience in Martinborough and it has been a steep learning curve for the couple, who are both former lawyers.

What the  critics say...

"Medium dark red with purple tint. Subtle red fruits, hazelnut, spice and oak notes on the nose. The palate is lovely, full and sweet fruited. Gentle yet pleasingly rich and elegant."

96/100 Sam Kim, Wine Orbit

Whitehaven Wines began life in 1994 as a romantic business for a couple of corporate escapees, Sue and Greg White, who had given up life in the rat race of Auckland for another kind of life aboard their yacht. When sailing around the country, they took shelter in the Marlborough Sounds from Pacific storms and fell in love with the region. An easy thing to do when harbouring in the spectacularly pristine waters of the Sounds. They decided to settle there on terra firma once more and try their hands at wine production, hiring a winemaker and beginning a business which has now been around for 26 years. Greg has sadly passed away now, leaving a legacy as well as his wife and daughter, Sam, to run the winery. Their winemaker is Peter Jackson.

Mellow complex Pinot Noir made from grapes grown on elevated hillsides in Marlborough's Southern Valleys. Body and depth of flavour are characterised by hints of dark cherries, spice and ripe plums. A beautiful wine for now and will also age for four to five years. 

Commercial description

C?te-R?tie "La Turque" is one of the flagship of the Domaine Guigal. A powerful wine with spicy notes, its terroirs from the C?te Brune with ?blond accents? lends it a great elegance.

Soil type
Silicone limestone with schistes producing clay soil rich in iron oxyde.

Grape variety
93 % Syrah, 7% Viogner.

Average age of vines
25 years

Winemaking
Thermoregulated stainless steel tanks. Automated punching down. Alcoholic fermentation/ 4 week maceration.

Ageing
42 months in new oak.

Average yield
35 Hl / hectare.

Tasting notes
Eye : Deep ruby red with dark tints.
Nose : Small red fruit, blackberry, morello cherry Intensely aromatic, powerful and elegant.
Palate : Supple attack with a balanced supple structure, concentration and elegant tannins. Fully expressive of the terroir.
Overall : With all the virility of the C?te Brune, La Turque also has all the subtlety and femininity of the C?te Blonde.

Commercial description

The C?te-R?tie ? La Mouline ? is one of the most emblematic of the Guigal domain?s wines. Small quantities are produced each year from a vineyard in the heart of the ?C?te Blonde?. This is a voluptuous, silky and intensely aromatic wine.

Soil type
Terraced wines in the shape of a Roman amphitheatre. Gneis with lighly coloured silicone soil with limestone l?ss.

Grape variety
89 % Syrah, 11 % Viognier.

Average age of vines
about 75 years

Winemaking
Thermoregulated stainless steel tanks. Traditional pumping over. Alcoholic fermentation/ 4 week maceration..

Ageing
42 months in new oak

Average yield
35 Hl / hectare.

Tasting notes
Eye : Ruby red with red vermillion tints.
Nose : Small red fruits, blackberry and floral violet aromas.Intensely aromatic, powerful but full of finesse.
Palate : Supple with balance between the finesse of the aromas and an explosive richness due to the concentration of the wine. Greatly expressive of the terroir.
Overall : A feminine wine with voluptuous silky texture and intense aromas.