6 of the best

Blackenbrook Sauvignon Blanc 2023 – Nelson Available from $19.99

The Schwarzenbach family has been producing wine in Nelson under the Blackenbrook masthead since the early 2000s, and I have always been a fan of their ‘stay small and improve quality’ approach.

Given their geographical position, sauvignon has long been a trump card for the Blackenbrook team, and the house style is a fairly serious one — dry, and tight with pronounced minerality and bright acid structure.

Certainly, those characteristics are there in full effect with this very good 2023 release. Throw in some punchy, regional tropical fruits, a touch of salinity and an undercard of green herbage, and there’s plenty to like here. It’s an expression that needs food to be seen at its best — with fresh shellfish an obvious choice. Give that combo a crack on a sunny autumn afternoon and wash the worries of the world away.

Doctors Flat Pinot Noir 2020 – Central Otago Available from $56.99

This is excellent small batch, organic pinot noir from well-known Central Otago winemaker, Steve Davies. Vinted from a tiny 3ha block in Bannockburn, everything about this wine has been micro-managed to extract the full potential of a special growing site.

The 2020 is another excellent effort; a polished, savoury wine that shows classic dark cherry flavours with lovely palate flow and underlying touches of oak and fruit spice. For such a young wine, the finish is wonderfully soft and velvety — but don’t let that fool you. Though already looking very integrated and complete, this wine has been vinted to go the distance. Cellar over the coming decade for added complexity and the chance to see those Central Otago Pinot Noir fruits develop some darker, secondary magic.

Great value – and an absolute steal by global pinot noir standards.

Spy Valley Pinot Gris 2022 – Marlborough Available from $23.99

Famously named after the Waihopai spy base that’s just down the road from the winery, Spy Valley have carved out an enviable reputation for their energetic wines — with a brace of aromatic whites leading the charge.

Just a kiss off-dry, this 2022 release is a fine representation of modern Marlborough Pinot Gris. It shows an amalgam of semi-ripe pear and zingy ginger flavours wrapped up in a plush palate that has rounded weight and mouthfeel. The finish has good length and softly expressed acidity — with those spicy ginger and juicy pear characters present all the way.

I’d love to try a bottle with a baked smoked salmon — especially one that has been elevated with a spicy miso glaze. (Note to self: this weekend!)

Whitehaven Pinot Noir Rose´ 2023 – Marlborough Available from $23.99

Produced from a blend of Southern Valleys and Raupara Pinot Noir fruit, this dry rose´ is a typically refined effort from Whitehaven. The colour is wonderful. With so many

New Zealand producers going down a Provence lookalike / ‘pale as possible’ rabbit-hole, it’s nice to see some inviting colour in the glass — and this 2023 release radiates with inviting salmon hues.

It’s equally inviting on the nose with notes of red summer fruits to the fore, while the palate shows crunchy red fruits in the strawberry, cranberry and watermelon spectrum.

Some subtle touches of baking spice complex the palate, but this wine remains all about those dry red fruits and the long, fresh finish line they wander towards. It’s delicious.

Bonpas Dames de Bonpas Cotes du Rhone Villages Plan de Dieu 2021 – France Available from $24.99

On the subject of outright bargains, here is another wine that completely outperforms its price point – in fact it’s hard to understand how Cotes du Rhone of this calibre can come halfway around the world and be sold here in New Zealand for under $30.

Grenache dominant, with a healthy dose of syrah rounding out the blend, this is deeply savoury Rhone red with lots going on the glass. Those exuberant, glossy grenache flavours have been dialed down to showcase their more serious side, while the syrah component adds structure, length and dryness to the conversation. It’s packed with cherry and spicy plum flavours and the tannins are long and fine. It’s one of those wines that effortlessly straddles the gap between pure pleasure and savoury, structured charm — a real gem that is sure to take your palate to a higher plane. I bought a case.

Some Young Punks Passion by Punks Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 – Australia Available from $18.99

The funky name and pulp-fiction labels may lead you to think you’ll be walking on the wild side of the street, but Some Young Punks collaborators, Col Mcbryde and Jen Gardner, take the winemaking side of their craft more seriously than their branding suggests.

They have carved out a real name for themselves in the South Australian scene, and this delightful, small batch Mclaren Vale blend has been given all the love and attention in the vineyard and winery. Dominated by shiraz (85%) this is lush, fulsome red with plenty of swagger and confidence. The cabernet component brings dryness and some nice tobacco herbal hints to the finish, but that driving shiraz percentage is always centre stage. This is smart, well-made Aussie red. Match with hearty roasted meats and vegetables as we head into the cooler months. You’ll be very pleased you did.