Winter Warmers

Desperately young but with good potential. Blackberries are prevalent on the nose whilst blackcurrants take over in the palate. The tannins are bold but well integrated and there is a good length of flavour. Keep a year and then enjoy. More

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This is not a big Pinot but it is perfectly balanced - a point if you like. Floral aromas are followed by sweet ripe cherries and redcurrants married to soft tannins and gentle acidity. More

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ARA's medium range brand is called Composite and it offers excellent value and, furthermore, is improving every year as the vines become more established. This 2008 wine is ripe and juicy with substantial cherry flavours, soft velvety tannins and good length. Delicious. More

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This is ARA's entry level Pinot. It is lightish in colour with red berry aromas that precede a palate of cherries and redcurrants. The tannins are subtle and well integrated making for an easy drinking and pleasing wine. Decent value. More

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ARA's top of the range Pinot Noir has an elegance that some much appreciate. There are deep, complex aromas of red fruit and violets that translate well to the palate where earthy notes are added. The tannins are soft and well integrated and the finish quite persistent. More

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Still young and will continue to improve. There is excellent fruit weight here with cassis and black cherries leading the charge. Tannins are bold and still a touch chalky and drying. Put some in the cellar and you will be rewarded. More

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Babich's top of the range Bordeaux Blend and deservedly so. Built to last it has black cassis aromas that are joined in the palate by spicy plums. The results is a powerful dense wine with grippy tannins and great length. The perfect Winter Warmer. More

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Made by Highfield Estate the wine displays soft, sweet fruit aromas and flavours with gentle tannins and good length. Good now and will continue to improve. More

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Distinctively Central Otago in style this youthful wine is dark in colour with a fruity nose. In the mouth it is big, rich, plummy and powerful with good savoury and spicy elements. Should improve and definitely built to last. More

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This Italian grape variety is hardly grown in New Zealand and on this evidence there should be more. Whilst undoubtedly very young, the wine already exhibits vibrant cherry aromas and flavours with hints of bread and aniseed. The tannins and acids are a little edgy at present but we feel sure these will mature in time. More

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Golden Hills used to grow grapes from the highly successful Waimea Estate. They are now making their own wines too - and with great success. 2009 is their first vintage and both the sauvignon blanc and pinot gris have won gold medals. This merlot is also full of promise with fruity red beery aromas giving way to plum flavours with savoury and spice elements combined with toasty oak and integrated tannins. Funky! More

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Initially this wine had bold cigar box aromas but these lessened over time. The palate is full of savoury plums and the tannins are as yet firm and grippy. All the necessary elements are here and given time this will be an excellent wine. More

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Just superb value here. This big, powerful wine has a soft, juicy nose and is fat, ripe and spicy in the palate. The tannins are smooth creating a rich texture and excellent length. More

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The bigger brother of the two Goldridge Estate Merlots, this is a wine made in a bigger style. It is black in colour with ripe and juicy fruit, smooth silky tannins and great length. More excellent value. More

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Great value this. Light and brownish in colour it has cherry and spice both on the nose and in the palate where it exudes sweet, ripe fruit. Thr tannins are subtle and integrated and there is excellent length too. Enjoy. More

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Stunning! The drinker is immediately assaulted by intense aromas of coffee and caramel. This big style is more than carried through to the palate where ripe, warming, toasted berry flavours erupt. At the same time there is good complexity with spice and bacon undercurrents. All this is tied together with soft tannins and easy acidity. Marvellous. More

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Made by Huia this wine has clean and fresh fruit characteristics with bramble notes on the nose and earthy elements in the palate. Well made, easy drinker. More

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This Pinot Noir blend is a little different but gave much pleasure. The fruit is beautifully ripe and provides a lovely sweetness to the palate. The tannins are smooth and gentle and this is an honest, easy drinking wine. Good value. More

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This wine is made to last forever and is already a fine example of what Matakana can produce in good vintages. Bold and intense in colour, it has vibrant black berry flavours with a rich texture and vegetal elements. This makes for an almost European style that is much admired by many. Put some in the cellar and you will be rewarded. More

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The top Merlot in this tasting and wonderful value too. The fragrant, floral aromas and overtaken by sweet ripe fruit with savory spice running through it. The tannins and tight and the finish dry making for a complex wine that is lovely now and will improve in time. Yum! More

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Immense potential here. The dark brooding nose is just fabulous and there is plenty of ripe, chocolaty fruit on offer. The finish is dry yet persistent and the grippy tannins will ease with cellaring. More

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Good packaging and an interesting name - Glacier Wine. This is in fact a late harvest riesling. Whilst it is a little light on the nose there a good citrus fruit flavours in the palate and an obviously sweet finish - but it is not in least bit cloying and finishes clean. Many will enjoy this. More

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Generally speaking the Syrahs in this tasting were a disappointing bunch. This wine, however, was an exception and came out top in this category. Still very young, it has a purple colour with aromas leather, pepper and spice. Yet in the palate it is remarkably smooth and savoury with good fruit weight and integrated tannins. More

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What one judge described as a 'puppy' of a wine. This straight Cabernet Sauvignon is incredibly young but even now exhibits excellent colour, bold vibrant cassis aromas and powerful fruit. The acidity and tannins are still very bold but in time this may well be a stunner. Put some in the cellar. More

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Peacock Sky is a new label on Waiheke. Their Chardonnay has drawn very favourable comments from the likes of Michael Cooper and John Hawkesby and, for us, this Merlot Malbec blend is even better. In fact it is stunning and was adored by the judges and consumers alike. It has gorgeous aromas of black cherries, fruitcake and nuts. The palate is just as good with plentiful black fruit, vanilla oak and cinnamon notes. The tannins are bold but beautifully integrated and this wine will certainly be long-lived. Great value for Waiheke wine of this standard. More

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Yet another winner from Pegasus Bay. The intense red berry aromas are followed by soft, ripe fruit flavours with spicy fruitcake and mealy notes. The tannins are perfectly integrated and this wine will certainly continue at this exalted standard for quite some time. More

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We've tried this before and it is improving all the time. Big, dark and vibrant, it displays cooked plums and stewed cherries together with firm tannins and good weight. Has good length too. More

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This wine has good potential and already has a delightful, oaky nose with ripe, peachy fruit in the palate. It is weighty and beautifully balanced with a persistent finish. More

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Yet an excellent wine from River Farm and they are certainly a Marlborough winery to keep an eye on. This wine has a cassis nose with sweet and juicy plum fruit allied to smooth tannins and great length. Lovely now but will also improve for a bit of cellaring. More

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This is River Farm's top of the range sauvignon blanc and justifiably so - it is a high quality wine. It displays ripe juicy fruit with crisp, well balanced acidity. What makes it different and adds a touch of complexity is the presence of a portion of old oak. Try this - its is interesting and delicious. More

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Is there anything Saint Clair can't make? We all know they produce great Sauvignon but their Pinot Noirs and this Noble Riesling have excelled in the tasting. This dessert wine is very sweet with honeyed aromas, almond undertones a wonderful oily texture and good weight. More

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This is definitely one to keep for a while. It displays ripe plum fruit with good savoury notes and bold oak. The length of flavour is excellent and the firm tannins will ease in time. More

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This is Saint Clair's top of the range Pinot Noir and was voted by the judges as the best wine in the tasting. Superbly balanced, it has wonderful cherry and red berry aromas and flavours in a deeply intense and warm style. The tannins are beautifully integrated and the finish everlasting. More

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Another high class wine from Saint Clair. This one was perhaps the most youthful of the six they entered. It is dark purple in colour with vibrant cherry aromas and savoury red berry flavours. As yet the tannins are tight but these will broaden in time. More

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This Pinot Noir from Saint Clair was perhaps the most appropriate for current drinking. Like its relatives it displays bold, vibrant colour and red berry fruit characteristics in a warm and intense style. But this time there are also plummy elements and the tannins are especially smooth and rounded. More

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Bold, bright red in colour with a fruity nose. In the palate the overriding impression is of warm, rich pinot berry flavours with balanced tannins and a rounded persistent finish. More

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Cherries with hints of smoked bacon on the nose give way to ripe, savoury plum flavours allied to quite light tannins and gentle acidity. Wonderful fruit ripeness in an easy drinking style. More

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One of the more youthful Saint Clair Pinots. The ripe cherry fruit style is still very much in evidence as is the depth of flavour but the tannins are a little bolder and coarser then in a couple of the other wines. Still a fine wine though! More

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Made by Maimai Creek in Hawke's Bay, this wine displays soft, floral aromas. The red berry fruit is ripe and rich giving a medium weight palate which works well with the rounded tannins and gentle oak. More

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Leather and pepper on the nose with pleasant rounded fruit in the palate allied to soft tannins and gentle oak. Honest, easy drinking and very much enjoyed. More

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Sweet, ripe berry aromas abound on the nose and are nicely carried through to the palate where the cherry characteristics come to the fore. The acidity and tannins are as yet a little too pronounced but this will soften in time leaving a high class wine. More

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High quality Syrah at an excellent price. It has bold, spicy aromas with lovely ripe fruit, great balance and excellent length. Warm and intense and perfect for winter. More

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Definitely a fine wine and indeed one judge was infatuated with it! Blackcurrants abound on the nose and, if anything, increase in power and richness through the palate to give a sweet, soft wine. Much admired in the consumer tasting too! More

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A simple, straightforward, easy drinking Syrah. It is made in a lighter style than some yet still with ripe fruit, soft tannins and undertones of spice and pepper. More

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Dark in colour, this wine has a beautifully floral aroma. This elegance continues in the palate with rich, ripe blackberry fruit added to mocha and cinnamon. Tannins are rounded and well integrated and there is a persistent, velvety finish. More

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Lovely aromas of pepper and spice give way to excellent upfront fruit that has decent weight. Tannins are nicely integrated giving good balance although as yet the acidity is a little firm and the finish a tad short. These will improve in time - interesting. More

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2010 is obviously desperately young for a Riesling but this wine is delicious now and will be fabulous in the future - definite 5 star/ gold medal winner. It already exhibits luscious lemon and limes with floral notes as well as gentle acidity and perfect balance. Get some for the cellar. More

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Made by Wither Hills, opinions on this wine were a little mixed. Undoubtedly it is a lighter, easy drinking style of Pinot Noir. However, it also has a good touch of complexity with notes of cigar and tar lying behind the upfront cherry fruit and gentle tannins. More

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Light in style and easy drinking this is a well made, worthy wine that displays floral aromas with very sweet cherry fruit, some spice and savoury nuances, soft tannins and easy acidity. More

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