THE RESULTS OF NEW ZEALAND’S INTERNATIONAL WINE AWARDS.

TROPHY TASTING NOTES

DELEGAT CROWNTHORPE TERRACES HAWKES BAY

CHARDONNAY 2020

This is a Chardonnay to satisfy most. There is plenty of distinctive Hawkes Bay grapefruit & melon characters and enough oak which compliments the exciting juicy flavours. Ready to enjoy, lightly chilled, food is not a necessity for this top value wine.

TRINITY HILL MERLOT 2020

Form the glorious 2020 vintage, this Hawkes Bay Merlot is dark, almost black in colour with a myriad of flavours on the palate. Rich & luscious with black plums, black liquorice and firm but not invasive tannins. A classy wine offering enjoyment & value.

GRANT BURGE BAROSSA INK

SHIRAZ 2020

Inky black red with vibrant crimson edges. The chocolate and plum bouquet is cloaked with vanilla. The taste is ripe & voluptuous with fine velvet tannins, juicy plum, prune and bottled cherry fruit with a sprinkle of pepper and a well-balanced nutty oak note to the creamy finish. Deliciously drinkable.

MUDBRICK VINEYARD RESERVE

SYRAH 2020

Waiheke Island produces sensational Syrah and this is one of the very best. Aromas of cassis and plums with a hint of local delicatessen. Dark brooding, subtle French oak, long, lingering and memorable, superb. Excellent cellaring potential.

THORNBURY MARLBOROUGH SAUVIGNON

BLANC 2021

Sauvignon Blanc drinkers rejoice, this is a terrific example of high-quality Marlborough wine at an unbelievable price. Taste the passionfruit & limes, its crisp dry & ready to go. The judges could not fault it.

LINDAUER VINTAGE SERIES

BRUT CUVEE 2017

Made from the classic blend of Chardonnay & Pinot Noir, it is rich & creamy with a tantalising & lingering finish. The bouquet has that classic Champagne character of freshly baked bread with masses of tiny bubbles in the glass. Multiple Gold medals. Multiple Trophies.

WAIRAU RIVER ESTATE

SUMMER RIESLING 2021, MARLBOROUGH

This is sunshine in a glass. Crammed full of citrus, fruit salad & crisp tangy flavours, this medium sweet beauty is exciting, vibrant, a wine to brighten your day. Serve well chilled it is very moreish.

GONZALEZ BYASS NECTAR PEDRO XIMINEZ

NV, SPAIN

This is a Sherry but not how you would know it. Rich, luscious, toffee, malt, raisins, it is Xmas Cake in a glass. A truly decadent treat - only share with good friends – or don’t share at all. A memorable experience.

MCARTHUR RIDGE SOUTHERN TOR CENTRAL OTAGO

PINOT NOIR 2020

A new Central Otago star is born. Bright ruby/purple in the glass, the palate is full of black cherries, smoky oak and gamey characters. Already a delicious Pinot Noir but there are years of cellaring ahead. Another top effort from Champion Winemaker Matt Connell.

MCARTHUR LILICO CENTRAL OTAGO

PINOT ROSE 2021

The colour is perfect, the fruit is perfect, the finish is perfection. Everything is in place for one of the outstanding Rose wines of the year. Medium dry with touches of strawberry, apricot & watermelon. Delicious.

An intense and opulent wine jam packed with blackcurrant, dark chocolate and espresso. Big, bold & generous with immediate appeal. No need to cellar, the enjoyment is already here. Amazing wine and amazing value. Beautiful Barossa wine.

TENUTA ULISSE AMARANTA MONTEPULCIANO D’ABRUZZO

DOP 2019, ITALY

Shiny blackberry in a glass. Wonderfully concentrated on the nose with a potpourri of aromas. Think plum jam and dark smoky oak and saddle leather. It is inky and opulent to the taste with succulent dark fruit, an inviting savouriness, touches of dark orange chocolate and hints of espresso with surprisingly supple tannins and a long-lifted finish.

WHITEHAVEN MARLBOROUGH

NOBLE RIESLING 2021

Pale lemon in colour with attractive aromas of nectarine and lemon sorbet. Everyone loves a sweet wine with dessert and this one has concentrated honey & dried fruit flavours with a luxurious and refreshing finish. Delicious now but will age gracefully for many years.

BEACH HOUSE

CABERNET MALBEC 2020, HAWKES BAY

2020 is one of the top vintages of the last few decades and this Cabernet Malbec blend reflects the vintage beautifully. Blackberry and cassis flood the nose alongside hints of dried herbs. Dark chocolate, spice and a graphite edge begin to illustrate the depth and complexity of this relatively youthful wine. On the palate the wine is bright, bold and approachable but will continue to gain complexity well into the 2030’s.

CHAMPAGNE CRISTIAN SENEZ

CUVEE RENOIR NZ, FRANCE

It is soothing and comforting and immensely satisfying! Fragrant aromas of ripe citrus, nectarine, yeast and floral, lead to a generous yet finely textured palate that shows delectable flavours and excellent acidity, which provides superb structure and length. A blend of 50% Chardonnay and 50% Pinot Noir. A beautiful refreshing champagne with ample bubbles. Effervescence in the mouth with a balanced, silky and creamy finish. This champagne is perfect for that function or event in your life that requires an extra touch of elegance.

ASKERNE HAWKES BAY

PINOT GRIS 2021

Intense aromas of pear, peach and honeysuckle with a hint of tangerine. Delicious flavours of stonefruit and ripe lemon carry through the textural and juicy palate which shows exceptional balance and length. Very impressive, top-quality wine.

JOHANNESHOF MARLBOROUGH

GEWÜRZTRAMINER 2021

Exotically perfumed with notes of rose petals, violets and zesty orange. The palate is rich and moreish with a wide spectrum of flavour. There's distinctive notes of lychee, orange, peach and ginger with a hint of five spice - making it a perfect companion for spiced dishes - but there's enough fruit sweetness for this wine to also be enjoyed as an aperitif. Brilliant wine.

D'ARENBERG HERMIT CRAB 2020, MCLAREN VALE, SOUTH AUSTRALIA

The Hermit Crab is a blend of Marsanne and Viognier and it's bursting with flavour. The bouquet has notes of fresh stone fruits and honeysuckle flowers followed by a palate filled with fresh fruit - pineapple and papaya, apple, apricot with a touch of grapefruit and the slightest hint of ginger. The finish is long and lingering. So tasty - an excellent alternative to the more standard white varietals.

CLEARVIEW ESTATE RESERVE HAWKES BAY

CHARDONNAY 2020

Light gold colour with a desirable mealy, creamy oak scent. It's rich and bold but beautifully balanced in the palate with concentrated peach and a touch of oak spice. Mouthfilling and long with a deep savoury presence and a flinty seam that is keeping it quite tight at this stage but there’s so much more to come. Everything is in place to make this a superstar of the vintage. Clearview Estate are the masters of this style of Chardonnay.

DANCING PETREL RESERVE

VIOGNIER 2020

Sensational result for this far North winery. Seductive, smooth, silky, barrel fermented in French oak, the palate has flavours of apricot and pear and on the nose hints of citrus. The finish is vibrant and very appealing. Super tasty now but there’s years of enjoyment to come.

SPARKLING WINE BEST IN CLASS

Te Awanga Estate Loved Up Methode Traditionelle 2015

A deeper straw colour that suggests a wine with some age, that thought reinforced by a fine bead of bubbles that can only be achieved by long term bottle aging. The nose is an amazing combination of buttery pastries, baked apples and lifted spice notes of cinnamon. Once on the palate the wine displays a liveliness from both the effervescence and citrus/ apple notes from the base wines. Finishing clean, refreshing and reaching for another pour. A passion project that lives up to its name.

SAUVIGNON/SEMILLON

Ka Tahi Sauvignon Blanc 2021

Pale straw with green hints suggesting a wine of youth, fruitiness and vibrancy. The aromas sit comfortably within the New Zealand vernacular for this variety. Notes of passionfruit, fennel and tropical melon leave the taster in no doubt of what they are tasting-a world class expression of this grape variety. The palate lives up to the promise on the nose with clear cut freshness, deliciousness and balance.

PINOT GRIS

Haha Hawke’s Bay Pinot Gris 2021 Deeper yellow tending towards straw. The aroma profile is in the riper spectrum for this variety sitting comfortably in the peach/ pineapple range of aromas. Complexity is not often seen in Pinot Gris but additional notes of custard, apple pie and vanilla sit comfortably with the fruit profile. This bandwidth on the nose carries through to a full bodied mouthful of deliciousness. Nothing edgy, too textural or out of line

ROSE

Esk Valley Hawke’s Bay Rose 2021 A wine where less is more but what’s there is perfect in every respect. A splash of palest red watercolour leads to a measured nose of prettiness, which manages to excite the senses without going so far as challenging them. The flow through to the palate has the same quiet confidence; what looks good, smells good and tastes good is good. Judges noted a spectrum of subtle fruit notes of watermelon and strawberry along with floral notes redolent of aromatic lilly. The palate is dry, balanced and delicious. A worthy winner from a skilled winemaking team

RED BLENDS CABERNET SAUVIGNON DOMINANT

Elephant Hill Stone Cabernet Sauvignon 2018

Cabernet Sauvignon, amongst the winemaker judges at least, is approached with equal measures of trepidation and expectation. Making a dominant Cabernet Sauvignon blend is akin to approaching a high alter of judgement given its status as the King of all wines. Deep red with some colour evolution befitting its vintage and age. The aromas were also within a window that still showed youth but hinted at future prospects, blackcurrant/ raspberry/ rosemary on the one hand, complex and savoury on the other. We liked the retention of the ‘Hawke’s Bay’ character. Once on the palate, the related sensory elements came into their own. Weight, concentration and texture were all in perfect proportion, the aromatic notes became more lifted and a harmony of ‘flavours’ emerged, the overall effect more important than the individual sensory components.

Presenting as a bright youthful wine with plenty of red colour with the added intensity of a purple hue. Bravely perfumed on the nose, showing clear cut varietal character in an unapologetic way that the judges loved. Fruit aromas of raspberry with lifted violet florals were bookended by sappy herbal elements. This wonderful spectrum of aromas carried through to the palate with purity, vigour and texture. Medium bodied in weight, pure unadorned varietal flavours and a crunchy tannin/ acid texture that lead through to a powerful finish. A sensory force on every level.

OSAWA WINES NOBLE

Gewurztraminer 2019 Where some wines are presented as delicate packages of fineness and nuance, this wine announces its presence in a way that left the judges agreeing that sometimes it is OK to be loud and proud. Gewurztraminer is known for its heady floral profile but layer it up with notes of honey/ bees wax along with apricot jam/ crystalized ginger and you have an aromatic profile that not just shouts, it screams. Every aspect of this wine is full noise; colour, aroma, taste and texture. Deeply coloured in the straw/ yellow spectrum, incredibly perfumed but with an almost savoury edge which leads to a full on palate of deliciousness. The shocking sweetness, lumbering weight and outrageous oiliness of the palate don’t just equal the nose, they surpass it. Delicious, decadent and proudly so.