World Wine – "This 'Sophia' has remarkable vitality and life, with vibrant primary fruit, great richness and structure. It will age 15+ years."
20/20 - Raymond Chan
Huon Hooke – "Lifted aroma with pronounced plum and floral characters. A complex array of flavours on the palate including plum, dark berry, chocolate, spice and a hint of violet. Gorgeous wine with plenty of weight, a silken texture and real energy. Will be very long-lived."
98/100 - Bob Campbell MW
James Suckling – Firm and tight licorice, graphite, slate and light dried strawberry. Goes to iron. Flowers. Medium body. Creamy and fine tannins with a rather dusty finish. Fresh acidity and long and linear finish. Structured. From biodynamically grown grapes. Better after 2024, but already beautiful. - 98 Points, James Suckling
James Suckling – Aromas of racy red fruits of cranberries and strawberries with rose petals, red licorice and tangerines. Medium-bodied with crisp acidity and fine-grained juicy tannins. Tangy and appetizing wine with good drinkability. Slightly sweet and sour fruit at the end.
The Wine Front – Struck match, preserved lemon, pine-lime, aniseed, cashew and spice. It’s glossy, with a bit of parmesan rind savouriness, bright grapefruity acidiy, creamy cashew, excellent intensity, and a flinty yet rich finish of excellent length.
World Wine – "Intense, mouthwatering chardonnay with lime, pineapple, oyster shell/mineral, hazelnut and subtle spicy oak flavours. Delicious high-energy wine in a rather Chablis-esque style with purity and power." - 96pts, Bob Campbell MW
James Suckling – Inviting aromas of flint, matchstick, grated nutmeg, dried lemon rind and sliced grapefruit. Medium-bodied with silky texture. Fresh and bright fruit turns more savory with herbs and spice coming to the forefront. Layered. Tannic, tight finish. From organically grown grapes. Drink now. Screw cap.
James Suckling – "A beautiful nose of sliced strawberries, crushed cherries, violets, grated nutmeg and a hint of white pepper. Some hibiscus, too. Supremely vibrant and perfumed with fine tannins that run the length of the medium-bodied palate. Textural. Ground spice and fresh fruit are intertwined, providing wonderful depth and complexity. So long as well. Seamless balance. Superb. Sustainable. Drink or hold." - 98 Points James Suckling - Wine of the Year, Top 100 NZ Wines for 2022
Huon Hooke – "Concentrated, complex pinot noir with cassis, blackberry, dark cherry, violet, wood smoke and savoury/dried herb flavours. Accessible now but with a proven history of ageing gracefully. Elegant wine with impressive power." 98 Points - (Bob Campbell MW, The Real Review)
James Suckling – "Redcurrant and creme de cassis aromas. Roses. So aromatic. Stones. Oyster and mussel shell. Ink pot. Lead pencil shavings. Full-bodied but very tight and focused. Linear and long with fine, powdery and chewy tannins. Crushed velvet texture. 56% cabernet sauvignon, 32% merlot, and 12% cabernet franc. More franc than normal in the blend. Terrific length. Try after 2028." - James Suckling
James Suckling – A prototypical Alsace gewurz with plenty of lychee and pineapple character, delicate spice and a satisfying balance between full, creamy body and an almost dry, spicy finish that’s long and rather complex.
Wine Spectator – Steely, with lemon pith, gooseberry and fleur de sel notes streaking over a flinty spine. An echo of lemon curd in the background adds nice contrast.
The Wine Front – Pretty, floral, red and black fruit, a sneaky grid of pepper, dried roses and violet. Medium-bodied, concentrated, a little liquorice and spice, nutty, dense and clenched, very graphite and ‘mineral’ character, beef stock and meaty flavours too, and a long finish packed with silty tannin, coffee bean and violet. Beautiful Syrah here. All just so.
Wine Enthusiast – Simply put, this is a beauty of a Bullnose bottling. The ancient red-iron soils of this long-standing Hawkes Bay estate have turned out an evocative nose of plum and blueberry amid a sappy, early spring forest of fresh flowers, herbs and spice (think sage, bay, peppercorn, anise). There's brightness and freshness to the silky palate despite the chiseled tannins. Captures not only a sense of place but also Syrah's often elusive tightrope walk of power and elegance. Drink now–2030.
Huon Hooke – Deep, bright purple/red colour and a very aromatic pepper and mixed spice bouquet that shouts 'cool-climate shiraz'. The wine is medium to full-bodied and elegantly shaped, soft fine tannins doing a great job to restrain the exuberant fruit. Refreshing acidity is perfectly harmonised. A gem of a shiraz, very much a northern Rhône style, appropriately labelled syrah.
The Wine Front – There’s a curious smell of neoprene here, or bicycle inner-tube, aside that there’s cherry and raspberry, charcoal briquettes, cassia bark, and some dried rose and mint perfume. It’s medium-bodied, dried cherry and pomegranate, a smoky and smudgy feel to tannin, quite savoury and autumnal, with a spiced tobacco finish of good length. Nice wine. Fleshy and flavoursome, with a little tamarillo/sweet tomato tang to close.
Wine Enthusiast – Underbrush, scorched soil and cedar aromas along with whiffs of blue flowers and Mediterranean herbs form the nose. Austere and linear, the elegantly structured palate offers suggestions of dried cherry and licorice before a rusty nail close. Tight, fine-grained tannins provide support.
James Suckling – A bright and vibrant red with fresh red berries and some dry mineral notes. Medium body with a tight feel and firm tannins. Crisp finish. A good introduction to Etna Rosso as always.
James Suckling – A very fine chardonnay, without quite the precision, detail and tension that I recall from other years. Stone fruit, flint, lanolin, porcini and that regional tattoo of glazed quince. Quinine bitterness at the finale. Mid-weighted and nicely nervous in the mouth, while suitably open-knit enough to breach already. Fine.
We aim to have all wines be vintage specific. In the case the listed vintage is out of stock and you note you would like that particular vintage, we will inform you via email for approval to go ahead.
Delivery Times
To be able to supply such a unique & extensive range of boutique wines, we don't hold much of the inventory. So with us, there is the added step of receiving the wine from our local suppliers before it is dispatched to you. Most orders are dispatched within 3-6 working days.
Quality Guarantee
Replacement or refund offered if bottles are faulty or damaged. All our deliveries are insured against loss, however you must notify us in a reasonable amount of time.
Sending a Gift
If you would like to include a gift message with your order, please enter that in the order instructions section. We'll print your message in a lovely font on A5 paper. We also won't include the invoice. Tracking will be sent to the email on file.
We aim to have all wines be vintage specific. In the case the listed vintage is out of stock and you note you would like that particular vintage, we will inform you via email for approval to go ahead.
To be able to supply such a unique & extensive range of boutique wines, we don't hold much of the inventory. So with us, there is the added step of receiving the wine from our local suppliers before it is dispatched to you. Most orders are dispatched within 3-6 working days.
Replacement or refund offered if bottles are faulty or damaged. All our deliveries are insured against loss, however you must notify us in a reasonable amount of time.
If you would like to include a gift message with your order, please enter that in the order instructions section. We'll print your message in a lovely font on A5 paper. We also won't include the invoice. Tracking will be sent to the email on file.
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