Something wild, something wonderful and the much-anticipated release of a national treasure — March seems to be the month that keeps on giving ...
Available at bitewine.co.nz for a limited time
Rockburn Central Otago Fumé Blanc 2013
Sauvignon blanc is the fuel that fires the engine of our wine industry, but that doesn't mean to say homogeneity rules. Rockburn's Malcolm Rees-Francis reaches for a wild-side approach, fermenting 100 per cent of their Parkburn-sourced sauvignon in
French oak
(when stainless steel is de rigueur), with indigenous wild yeasts and no added sulphur. It's super-natural, oozing dried herb, white pepper, crunchy fennel, frangipane and soft, smoky, toasty tones.
Price $36
Mahi Alchemy Marlborough Chardonnay 2012
Scented with lemon, shortbread, grilled stonefruit slathered in cream and juicy, ripe grapefruit, mandarin pith and cinnamon toast notes. This chardonnay is brash, buxom and bursting with old-school biscuity oak. Put simply, this is one for the chardonnay-obsessed. Not for the shy.
Price $39
Te Mata Estate Coleraine 2013
2013 is being touted as "the vintage of the century", and even "a lifetime" by Hawkes Bay winemakers. Arguably the most famous red wine New Zealand has ever produced and, in its 31st vintage, the Coleraine 2013 is the most widely anticipated local wine release. And it's stunning. Think aromas of cranberry, pomegranate, plum, berries and black tea. The mouthfeel is deliciously textural and precedes a marathon-like finish.
Price $99
