Wine Reviews

The 2023 Aroha Pinot Noir is so elegant and fine. Tasted alongside the Te Muna Road Pinot Noir from the 2024 vintage (both wines sourced from the same vineyard), this appears ethereal and delicate, with dried rose petals and caper brine. 2023 might have brought challenges due to the water and the cold temperatures, however none of the struggles are evident in this glass. What a gorgeous wine. It is saline and fresh, detailed and lingering, highly recommended.

The 2024 Te Muna Sauvignon Blanc leads with a lean, complex nose that is layered with preserved citrus, paw paw, stewed apple and white pineapple. The wine has excellent texture on the palate; the phenolic grip here presents an extra dimension of interest and chew, further cementing the appreciation of the wine. This is very good, classy.

The 2024 Pinot Noir is from the Te Muna Road vineyard in Martinborough, on New Zealand’s North Island. On the nose, the wine is deeply aromatic, with spiced cherry, blood plum, new leather and star anise. In the mouth, the wine is concentrated and dense—powerful in structure and shaped by French oak—well matched but pronounced. This is a fantastic wine. Give it a couple of years prior to opening, although it certainly drinks well now!

From a coastal vineyard in Hawke’s Bay, there’s prettiness, even delicacy, to the lemongrass, salt and floral notes, with a toastier, richer underbelly to pad things out. Mid-weight, it’s precise and focused with lovely tension and textural interest.

Silky and welcoming, the 2022 Le Sol is very moreish, with open-knit textures and approachable fruit flavors of red cherry, plum coulis and cola. Oak lends vanilla and cedar tones to the fruit, but the vintage didn’t allow for much expressiveness. The 2022 is a rather restrained, easier style that will give pleasure early.