These wines aren’t cheap, ranging in price from $30-$95. But if you are looking for wines that keep drawing you back for another sip and linger in your memory long after the bottle is finished, they are well worth tracking down.
Wild Earth North Otago Riesling 2022
★★★★★
Full of character, this single-vineyard wine was hand-harvested in the Waitaki Valley. Still a baby, it is attractively scented and light-bodied, with penetrating, peachy, citrusy, slightly spicy flavours, gentle sweetness balanced by mouth-watering acidity, and lovely vigour, depth and harmony. Best drinking 2027+. (10.5% alc/vol) $30
Neudorf Rosie’s Block Moutere Chardonnay 2023
★★★★★
Delicious in its youth, this Nelson wine was estate-grown at Upper Moutere in Rosie’s Block, planted in 1999. Hand-picked, it was fermented with indigenous (“native”, rather than cultured) yeasts and matured on its yeast lees in French oak casks. Bright, light yellow/green, it is mouthfilling and rich, with concentrated stonefruit flavours, finely integrated oak and a long, crisp finish. A complex, well-structured wine full of vigour and personality, it should be at its best 2026+. Certified organic. (14% alc/vol) $55
Pegasus Bay Muscat 2019
★★★★★
Muscat vines grow all over the Mediterranean but are rarely seen in New Zealand. Crafted in a sturdy Alsace style, this rare North Canterbury wine was estate-grown at Waipara, hand-picked at an advanced level of ripeness, and handled in stainless-steel tanks. Bright, light lemon/green, it is enticingly perfumed and weighty, with strong, vibrant, peachy flavours, a splash of sweetness, appetising acidity and a slightly oily richness. Powerful and highly distinctive, it’s well worth discovering. (14.9% alc/vol) $30
Luna Silver River Martinborough Pinot Noir 2020
★★★★★
Still youthful, this deep ruby, fragrant, very savoury red was hand-harvested from the oldest vines (planted in 1986, 1992 and 1995) in the Eclipse and Blue Rock vineyards. Matured for a year in French oak barrels, it was bottled unfined and unfiltered. Full-bodied, with fresh, concentrated cherry, plum and spice flavours, well seasoned with nutty oak, it is a vigorous, multi-faceted wine, full of ageing potential. Best drinking 2026+. (14% alc/vol) $95
Wine of the Week
Akarua Bannockburn Central Otago Pinot Noir 2023
★★★★★
Estate-grown and hand-picked from vines averaging 24 years old, this classy red was matured for 10 months in French oak barriques (27% new). Full, bright ruby, it is refined, lively and savoury, with impressive depth of complex, ripe cherry, plum and spice flavours and a very finely poised, persistent finish. Built for the long haul, it’s well worth cellaring to 2027+. (13% alc/vol) $45
