Wine Reviews

Luscious berry aromas take the lead on this concentrated Pinot from one of New Zealand’s best-known red producers. The florals, vanilla and toasty spice notes are just whispers for the moment. The silky palate is rich and primary, with layers of flavor that are still tightly packed in. Drink now with a decanter at hand or hold for another few years

The nose is primarily warm, meaty and sanguine, but also saline, herbaceous and slightly tart, with a dash of salt and pepper tying the fresh to the savory. The palate strikes a similar balance between the levity of mint and berries and the dusty warmth of coffee and chocolate.

This wine opens with muddled rose petal, black cherry, hibiscus and boysenberry. Velvety in texture, it bathes in concentrated black fruit on the midpalate with an undercurrent of grippy tannins. The wine reveals the subtleties that a cool vintage can provide. Put this wine down and revisit after 2026

This wine has a nose of black cherry, black olive, strawberry and rosehip. The midpalate echoes the nose with bright acidity, damp earth and chalk dust. The cool-vintage Moulin-à-Vent is angular, concentrated and shows depth. Additional age in bottle would tame youthful tannins.

This wine has a reserved nose of pomegranate, red and black cherry, rhubarb, forest floor and black plum with hints of dried hay. Streaks of granite and wet river stone emerge on the palate and run in parallel with tart red fruit. The wine is still young and would benefit from further aging. Drink from 2026 onwards.