NZ – autumn collection

Starts very well with sleek and unexaggerated aromas of lime and flint, with a grassy edge. Very crisp on the palate (pH 3.17, according to their website), very direct and again not exaggerated. My one reservation is the sweet-sour finish, with a hint of sweetness on the finish that lingers a little too long. The residual sugar is apparently just 2.6 g/l but I find the high acid and that touch of sweetness clash rather than balance. Maybe it needs a few more months in bottle. (JH) 13.5%

RS 4g/l. Tamra Washington made this on the vast Awatere Valley estate where weeds are kept in check by baby sheep. Well, yes, you would love to be served this in a blind tasting. Light and vaguely sweet on the end with, if you screw up your eyes very tight, just a suggestion of something vaguely mineral. Leaves me cold, I'm afraid but it would definitely do the business for Marlborough Sauvignon fans and doesn't have any of the dreaded canned asparagus aroma. Yet? Scored within its category as usual. (JR) 12.5%

100% Sauvignon Blanc grown on the ancient soils of Ara’s single sustainably-managed estate in the coolest reaches of Marlborough’s Wairau Valley. Vines are close-planted and low-yielding. The grape harvest took place with a combination of machine and hand-picking, extending from the middle of March into the latter half of April. Early and later picks of the blend components contributed to the contrast of herbaceous ripeness. The different parcels were fermented separately with long slow, cool ferments. The wine was aged on yeast lees prior to racking, blending and fining. Winemaker Jeff Clarke. Suitable for vegetarians. TA 7.2 g/l, pH 3.1, RS 3.4 g/l. DWWA 2012 and IWC 2012 Silver Medals.
Syrupy, lemon juice, very confected. Low acid somehow. Messy. (RH) 13%

100% Riesling from vineyards scattered through Awatere and Wairau Valley, Marlborough. Timely canopy management such as shoot thinning, leaf plucking and wire lifting provided balanced yields and exposed fruit. The grapes were harvested in the cool of the morning, gently pressed and naturally settled. A cool fermentation took place with neutral yeasts, which was stopped with cooling to leave some residual sugar. Winemaker Alastair Maling MW. TA 8.7 g/l, pH 2.99, RS 7.75 g/l.
Sweet lime fruit, bright and refreshing. For Riesling, it’s boring but functional. (RH) 12%

Very standard tart asparagus. Falls away. (JR) 13.5%

Loads of early petrol development – remarkably vocal. Pithy. Even a little oxidative. Cork closure, incidentally. Impressive, typical Riesling flavour. (RH)

Richer than the Village bottling but I'm not sure I prefer it. I like the piercing zest of the Village bottling. (JR)

Very lively and jewelly. So precise and appetising. GV (JR)

Soft, supple mouthfeel. Actually quite restrained. Difficult to say where the appeal lies here – I think it might be getting a bit old, frankly. Seems a bit flat and understated. (RH) 14%

Very telling nose – the oak is much reduced whereas the sulphidic matchstick reduction is played up. This is very much following the path set by trendy Australian Chardonnay. It’s attractive and smooth, but the fruit is pretty tart, and the 14% alcohol doesn’t quite add up with the leanness and reductive style of the palate. (RH) 14%

Herbal, fresh, zesty. Gooseberries, of course. Pure and rounded, with a makrut-lime sort of bitterness to finish, if you please. Good and pungent, but lacks the complexity and texture of its more sophisticated rivals these days. (RH)

13%

The debut vintage of this variety from south west France. Lightly toasty nose recalled Jurançon. Quite sweet and then with lots of acidity but not quite enough in the middle to knit the two together.  However it promises well. I'm sure that future vintages will gain in complexity. Just a tad simple now. (JR) 9%

100% Chardonnay fruit drawn from 10 different vineyards planted on the alluvial soils found throughout Marlborough’s Wairau Valley. Vine age varies from 8 to 18 years old, with a mix of clones – predominantly Clone 15 and 95 but also 2 sites planted in clone 6. Some blocks hand-picked and others machine-harvested with an average yield of just 36 hl/ha due to poor flowering. 2/3rds of the parcels making up this wine were fermented in stainless steel tanks, the remaining 1/3rd a mix of French and American oak. Primary ferment lasted 65 days on average then matured in oak for 9 months with 50% of the blend put through malo. Winemakers Matt Thomson and Hamish Clark. TA 6.1 g/l, pH 3.49, RS 2.5 g/l.
Not much except a bit of pineapple chunk on the nose – a long time since I've smelt this 1990s smell! (JR) 13%

Bright pale gold. Chalky scent and then lots of green fruit and great life and vibrancy. Not desperately subtle but bouncing with life. Very tangy. The acidity really shines through. I tasted this alongside Kershaw Chardonnay 2012 Elgin from South Africa and found less real density and substance but it's a very refreshing mouthful that I'm sure will last well. (JR) 13.5%

A bit opulent for me. Rich. Definitely very different from standard-issue Marlborough Sauvignon! Quite a statement. Takes some getting to grips with. (JR) 13%

Biodynamic. Fruit from the Matawhero subregion, planted 1997, close to the Pacific. Fermeneted in steel and French oak hogsheads. pH 3.76, TA 4.7 g/l, RS 7.1 g/l.  
Very pale gold. Rich and classic aromas of apricot and ripe pear with a touch of herbs and flowers. Some oak creaminess and hint of oak spice. Not particularly concentrated on the palate and there is marked sweetness, just in balance. I found the wine quickly faded when served with food. Better as an aperitif. (JH) 14%

Crunchy fruit, leathery and medicinal notes on the palate. Subtle insistence. Deserves time to flourish. (RH)

Sweet oak, a bit of herbal interest on the palate. Yielding tannins, bitter cherry fruit. All very correct, with a subtle cinnamon spiciness on the finish. Has the concentration to blossom. (RH) 13.5%

Sweet, creamy oak on the nose. Fragrant palate with a charming, opulent richness on the palate with a firm, lengthy finish. (RH) 14%

Curious that their most expensive cuvée is the least alcoholic. It has correspondingly more elegance and fragrance – and a lovely bloodyness. Much more light and shade than their others. (RH) 13.4%

Heady, spirity nose. Plenty of fruit, but the sweet, heavy alcohol dominates the finish. (RH) 14.7%

Rich fruit, and plenty of body. Pinot nudging 15% is always going to appear heavy. Pure, crowd-pleasing fruit – but at the expense of elegance. (RH) 14.6%

50% Merlot, 40% Malbec, 5% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. The Donaldson family were pioneers of winemaking in the Waipara Valley. Vines are planted on stony, freely draining soil on north-facing, sheltered terraces. Some of the blocks are over 25 years old and planted on their own roots. Grapes picked in mid-May and the separate varieties were fermented in stainless steel and then left to macerate for several weeks. Spontaneous malo and maturation for 24 months in French oak barriques. Winemaker Matt Donaldson. TA 4.8 g/l, RS 0.7 g/l.
Really attractive development on the nose – damp earth, mint leaf, blackberry and blackcurrant. Far more satisfying than most 2007 Bordeaux at this price! As such, it is justifiably GV. (RH) 14.5%

100% Pinot Noir harvested from mid-March to early-April by a combination of machine and hand-picking and from vines planted at double the density of most in the region. Fruit destemmed but not crushed and transferred by gravity to tank for 5 – 7 days cold soak, followed by ferment and skin contact of 10 – 15 days at 28°C. Malolactic started in tank and a portion of the blend was kept in tank to retain primary fruit characters. The oak regime on the balance of the blend consisted of 10% new and 90% older fine-grained French barrels for 6 months. Winemaker Jeff Clarke. Suitable for vegetarians. TA 6.0 g/l, pH 3.6, RS <1.0 g/l.
Encapsulates the New Zealand Pinot fruitiness on the nose – really appealing, and a great supermarket Pinot – loads of fruit, attractive price, light bodied. I love how this couldn’t be anything else from anywhere else. (RH) 13.5%

Lovely stuff. Exuberant and violet perfumed. Long. (JR)

Beautifully ripe fruit, creamy oak, meaty and peppery – real wow factor. Fully loaded, but not gross – very classy. (RH) 14.5%

A bit mealy and indistinct on the nose. Not quite fresh enough. (JR)

100% Pinot Noir. De-stemmed. Fermented up to 30 °C with total maceration of 20 days. Run off to French oak barrique (25% new) for malo and 11 months’ maturation. Bottled unfined and unfiltered.
Sweet and perfumed. But a tad sweet and sour. Not really with enough bottom and follow through. 13.5%

Very juicy red fruit – cherry, strawberry. Unmistakably Marlborough, in that it is fruit dominant. Doesn’t deliver enormous complexity though. You can get very similar satisfaction from much cheaper brands, I’m afraid. (RH) 14.5%

100% Pinot Noir planted on upper Martinborough Terrace with unique rock and soil formation. The best clusters were left at thinning time on densely planted vines with low-vigour rootstocks. The grapes were hand-harvested, chilled to 8 °C overnight, sorted, then 90% destemmed into tank with 10% whole clusters. All of the 43 different parcels were batch-fermented with 14 – 21 days on skins. Hand plunged then transferred direct to French oak barriques post ferment for 10 months (27% new). Winemaker Rod Easthope. Suitable for vegetarians and vegans. TA 5.3 g/l, pH 3.62, RS <2 g/l.
Pale crimson. Very light nose indeed. Hands off winemaking?! I'd like just a bit more perfume ideally. (JR) 13.7%

Blend from the Eaton, Cowley and Calrossie vineyards in southern Marlborough. Light ruby. Quite a subtle nose – not just fruit-forward and jammy – with marked acidity on the finish.  Quite appetising and sinewy even if by no means a copy of Burgundy, which may be a good thing. Lightish and definitely a food wine. (JR) 13%

A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (36.4%), Cabernet Franc (27.3%), Merlot (22.7%) and Malbec (13.6%) – from the area now identified as the Bridge Pa Triangle, known for their red metal soils. Already selected in the vineyard. Cold soak pre ferment. Basket pressed, malo in barrel, all French and 75% new. 17 months in oak, blended after 16. pH 3.62, TA 6.53.
Deep smudgy ruby. Marked cedary and intense cassis and cassis leaf aromas. Rich, dense, luscious fruit with the freshness to carry all that ripeness. Tannins still firm but rounded and supporting. Still very young and quite primary. The slight leafiness on the finish is classic Hawke's Bay and underlines the freshness. (JH) 13%

Two parcels from Te Muna Road. 100 cases. Very closed nose. Spiced, slightly cooked fruit on the palate – but totally fresh too. Bitter finish – very compact and brooding. (RH) 13.7%

Single clone (114). 100% whole bunch fermentation. 70 cases. Very opulent nose – stemmy yes, but perfumed and sweet fruited too. Intoxicating. Spicy on the palate, with a slight bit of bitterness. Certainly quite extreme, but utterly delicious too. (RH) 13.7%

Cool and damp year. Cork sealed. Bronze garnet shade. Glossy. Great earthiness and sweet herbal lift. A farmyard character, but not at all pungent or aggressive. Savoury, iodine, milk chocolate. Lovely fresh acid and finely sanded tannins. Has the spirit of great Pinot. (RH)

Warm but damp year, lots of millerandage. Mid garnet. Fragrant redcurrant and chocolate. Dried herbs, vibrant red fruit and a piggy savoury character too. Racy acidity, very heady scent. Loads going on in here, and has plenty of life left. (RH)

From magnum. Dark garnet. A warm vintage, with much riper and more confected fruit than in the 2003 and 2002. Peppery spice akin to Syrah. Glossy, polished, dry and with a pretty solid tannin structure. Fragrant, deep and heading towards heavy. (RH) 14.5%

From double magnum. Rather dense and closed. Grainy tannins, glossy black fruit. Pretty opaque in style, and with a serious structure. Doesn’t quite have the length and scope of other vintages. (RH)

An ‘exceptional’ vintage – worst flowering ever, with an eventual yield of 4 hl/ha. Very small berries. Fragrant, vibrant, vital – really aromatic, and tastes like it might have a whole bunch element in it (but it doesn’t, apparently!) Has that savoury, peppery herbal tone and a certain texture to the tannins suggesting stems. Exciting. Has poise and elegance with loads of fruit power too. (RH)

Glossy ruby. Rather closed on the palate, and a little more dilute than most vintages. Coffee character, fresh red fruit, but not so driven and expansive as the 2007, for instance. (RH)

A warm year. A little oak detectable on the nose here, as well as perfectly formed red fruit and a spicy finish. Malleable tannins, creamy texture. (RH) 14.5%

One of the coolest years. The teeniest hint of reduction on the nose, giving a not altogether unpleasant stink on the nose. Juicy young red fruits, supple tannins. Modest intensity. Refreshing, mouthwateringly vital. (RH)

15% of the blend had 85% whole bunch fermentation. Closed, primary red fruit. There’s surely more to this – but it’s not showing right now. Very backward. Smooth, glossy. Tapered, if that makes sense? Needs the benefit of a few year's doubt. (RH)

Bright crimson. Lots of vegy notes and quite muscular. Well made but quite expensive compared with red burgundy. (JR) 14%