MARCH 14 2020 LISTENER 41
finely poised finish. (13.5%
alc/vol) $28
GRÜNER VELTLINER
Hunter’s
Marlborough Grüner
Veltliner 2018
Drinking well
now, this barrel-
fermented wine
is full-bodied and
dry, with strong
peachy, slightly
spicy flavours, fresh
balanced acidity
and good complex-
ity. (14% alc/vol) $25
Jules Taylor Marlborough
Grüner Veltliner 2018
Currently delicious, this
mouthfilling wine has
strong, fresh, peachy, spicy,
slightly gingery flavours,
lively acidity and a finely
balanced, dry finish. (13%
alc/vol) $25
Riverby Marlborough Grüner
Veltliner 2018
Attractively scented, this
Wairau Valley wine is
full-bodied, with strong,
fresh, lively citrusy flavours,
slightly peachy and spicy
notes and a dry, harmonious
finish. (13.5% alc/vol) $22
Rock Ferry The Corners
Vineyard Marlborough
Grüner Veltliner 2018
This estate-grown
and partly barrel-
fermented wine is
classy. Medium-
bodied, it has intense
citrusy, slightly spicy
flavours, showing
impressive vigour
and complexity and a dry,
persistent finish. Certified
organic. (12.5% alc/vol) $33
PINOT BLANC
Blackenbrook Nelson Pinot
Blanc 2019
Estate-grown in Tasman, this
attractively scented wine is
vibrantly fruity and mouth-
filling, with good intensity of
peach, pear, lychee and spice
flavours and an off-dry finish.
A distinctive Alsace-style
wine. (13.5% alc/vol) $28
Greenhough Hope Vineyard
Nelson Pinot Blanc 2016
Certified organic, this refined
wine was barrel-matured for
18 months. Fragrant and full-
bodied, it has rich, vibrant
stone-fruit flavours, gently
seasoned with oak, moderate
acidity and a dry, smooth
finish. (13.5% alc/vol) $36
Tohu Single Vineyard
Whenua Awa
Upper Awatere
Marlborough Pinot
Blanc 2018
Full-bodied, this
partly barrel-
fermented wine has
a fragrant, creamy
bouquet, ripe
stone-fruit flavours,
slightly toasty
notes, balanced
acidity and excellent depth.
(13.5% alc/vol) $36
RIESLING
Aurum Central Otago Dry
Riesling 2018
This youthful wine is
mouthfilling, with fresh
peachy, citrusy flavours,
a sliver of sweetness and
firm acid spine. Show-
ing excellent weight and
intensity, it’s well worth
cellaring. (13% alc/vol) $28
Dashwood by Vavasour
Marlborough Riesling 2019
Offering top value, this
light-bodied wine is attrac-
tively scented, with vibrant
citrusy, slightly appley
flavours, gentle sweetness,
appetising acidity and very
good delicacy, depth and
harmony. (11% alc/vol) $16
Two Paddocks Central Otago
Riesling 2018
Estate grown near Alexandra,
this is a weighty, fleshy full-
bodied riesling. Ripely scented,
it is powerful with concen-
trated citrusy, peachy flavours,
a sliver of sweetness and lively
acidity. Certified organic.
(13.5% alc/vol) $33
SEMILLON
Kaimira Estate Brightwater
Semillon 2009
Here is a rare chance to buy a
New Zealand white wine that
is more than a decade old.
Estate grown in Nelson, it is
highly fragrant, with citrusy,
limey flavours, toasty bottle-
aged notes adding complexity
and a fully dry finish. (12.5%
alc/vol) $25
VIOGNIER
Johner Estate Gladstone Viognier
2018
Enjoyable young, this mouth-
filling, vibrant wine has good
intensity of stone-fruit fla-
vours, a subtle twist of oak and
a fully dry, very harmonious
finish. (13% alc/vol) $26
Passage Rock
Reserve Waiheke
Island Viognier 2019
Full of personality,
this barrel-matured
wine has a slightly
creamy, nutty
bouquet. Weighty
and fleshy, it has
concentrated,
ripe stone-fruit
flavours, oak com-
plexity and a rich,
fully dry finish.
(14% alc/vol) $50
Quarter Acre Hawke’s
Bay Viognier 2018
This classy wine
was hand-picked
in the Bridge Pā
Triangle. Seduc-
tively weighty
and rich, it has lush
stone-fruit flavours, finely
integrated oak, gentle acid-
ity and a long well-rounded
finish. (13% alc/vol) $35
Villa Maria Cellar Selection
Hawke’s Bay Viognier 2018
Sturdy and sweet-fruited,
this partly barrel-fermented
wine offers top value. Full-
bodied and vibrantly fruity,
it has stone-fruit flavours,
a distinct touch of com-
plexity and a dry, rounded
finish. (14% alc/vol) $19
WÜRZER
Seifried Nelson Würzer 2019
From a German crossing
of gewürztraminer and
müller-thurgau, this fresh,
medium-bodied wine has
citrusy, appley, gently spicy
flavours. It is slightly sweet,
crisp and finely balanced.
(12.5% alc/vol) $25
OTHERS
Bellbird Spring Aeris NV
This distinctive Waipara
pinot gris was matured in old
barrels under a veil of yeast,
achieving its high alcohol
through evaporation in cask.
It has concentrated sherry-like
aromas and flavours. Rich and
complex, it has a long dryish,
yeasty, nutty finish. (17.5%
alc/vol – 500ml) $48
Yealands Estate Single
Vineyard Awatere
Valley PGR 2019
Blended from pinot
gris, gewürztraminer
and riesling (hence
the PGR), this is
a freshly scented,
full-bodied wine
with an array of fruit
flavours and gentle
spicy notes. Finely
balanced, it is crisp and dry.
(13.5% alc/vol) $23 l