White Wine

Wonderfully fresh and floral, tastes of elderflower and cool grapes. Very soft, not too acidic like many NZ SBs at this price.

St Aubin has got to be one of the best value wines in Burgundy. This is a full-bodied, generous and precise wine. Easily accessible, it is the perfect accompaniment for aperitifs or a simple cooked meat (charcuterie), poultry or fish dishes.

A blend of 40% each Marsanne and Roussanne, plus 20% Grenache Blanc, the 2023 Cotes du Rhone Blanc La Ponce is floral and spicy, with marked pear and melon aromas. It's fruit-forward and medium to full-bodied, with a plush, silky texture and a long finish redolent of anise and white pepper.

A blend of Clairette 70% and Grenache 30%. 80 year old vines are planted in mixed soils of red sand, clay and round pebbles. Grapes are hand-harvested and vinification takes place in 100% old wooden casks. The wine is matured in large ‘demi-muid’ barrels for 6 months on the lees. Domaine La Lôyane was voted Winemaker of the Year in 2018 by the Guide Hachette, France's wine bible. La Lôyane refers to the place where the estate is built, a place formerly occupied by wolves! The estate, founded in 1994, is located in the south of the Rhône Valley, near Avignon in the Lirac cru. The Dubois family has been cultivating its 20 hectares of vines there for 4 generations! And the last, with Romain Dubois, has cnverted the estate to organic farming. An extremely precise estate, which is constantly moving upmarket and producing wines from vines that are sometimes more than a century old!

A blend of Viognier 40%, Roussanne 40% and White Grenache 20%. 20 year old vines are planted in mixed soils of clay, limestone and round pebbles. Peachy aromas, with a fresh and expressive palate that's juicy and very pleasing. More peach flavour from the Viognier and a weighty mid-palate from the Roussanne. Excellent value for money. Grapes are mechanically harvested and vinification takes place in temperature controlled stainless-steel tanks, with regular stirring of the lees. This preserves the freshness and fruitiness of the wine. Domaine La Lôyane was voted Winemaker of the Year in 2018 by the Guide Hachette, France's wine bible. La Lôyane refers to the place where the estate is built, a place formerly occupied by wolves! The estate, founded in 1994, is located in the south of the Rhône Valley, near Avignon in the Lirac cru. The Dubois family has been cultivating its 20 hectares of vines there for 4 generations! And the last, with Romain Dubois, has cnverted the estate to organic farming. An extremely precise estate, which is constantly moving upmarket and producing wines from vines that are sometimes more than a century old!

Escaravailles rare top end white we are very lucky to see an allocation of. Even with a hot, short vintage Madeline has produced a very fine, elegant, juicy long and fine Rhone wine.

100% Carignan Gris that was raised in older barrels. It offers that classic cold steel-like character I always find in Carignan Gris, as well as plenty of citrus blossom, bright apple fruit - steely and penetrating. A real one-off. Utterly beautiful wine. This 2022 is simply thrilling, honey. Simply ELECTRIC! Buy now. That's the only advice you need.

A blend of Genache Blanc, Gris and Noir, from ancient 90 year old vines in the ancient and quite amazing 'C|os des Escounils' that the brothers are developing and working on re-establishing it's other potential vineyard areas. This is beautiful, racy, elegant wine that is softly textured and very ‘modern’ in its freshness and balance.

The Vondeling Babiana is predominantly made from old chenin blanc vines planted in 1986. Their age and low yield ensure consistent quality and concentration, which is why it forms the backbone of this blend. The fullness of the Chenin Blanc is tempered by the verve and high aromatics of the Grenache Blanc, Viognier and Roussanne. Platter's 2021 South African Wine Guide, 5 stars - Regular quartet, chenin with viognier, roussanne & grenache blanc, difference lies in vintage variation. Glorious 2019 symphonic assembly of honeyed spice fragrance, weighty silk texture, the layered complexity gaining futher depth from fine acid line. Natural ferment in oak, 8 months on lees, 4 months as a blend. 2018 (92 points) also gorgeous.

Lemony, bright fruit, with steely acidity. Pure and balanced.

Family estaste based in Beine near Chablis, with 50 hectares under vine. 100% Chardonnay fermented and aged in stainless steel tanks to retain freshness. Classic Chablis. Pebble dry, floral and vibrant. Great seafood wine, particularly oysters.

A rather unusual 100% Marsanne from a small appellation in the Northern Rhone. Textural, concentrated, impressive. Terrific wine. From the website of UK agent Thorman Hunt: A top star domaine. Yves Cuilleron took over the reins as the 4th generation vigneron in 1987. He is based in Chavanay, just south of Condrieu and has built up a formidable reputation in recent years. Always developing new ideas and cuvées, our tasting here each year is mightily impressive. We are lucky to have the allocation we do. Having started with Yves’ stunning Vin de France, we now have access to his amazing range of Grands Vins. He now owns and leases over 75 hectares. We think they are all great wines and they are all in the style of Yves Cuilleron – lingering, rich white wines and big rich minerally reds.

The Torrontes grapes from which this wine is made are grown 1,800 metres above sea level estate vineyards in Cafayete, Salta – a place the Incas once ruled. The name, Munay is the Quechuan word for love. A juicy wine with floral and stone fruit aromas, fresh and well balanced with acidity and minerality. El Porvenir specialise in Torrontes, Malbec, Tannat and red blends from 45-50 year old vineyards which are amongst the highest in the world at 1900m asl and peopled with 20-foot, 200 year old monster cacti. Colour in the reds here is profound due to the exposure to prolonged mountain sunlight, with soft tannins due in part to the extreme diurnal temperature differences. Winemaker Mariano Quiroga Adamo is one of Argentina’s brightest young winemakers and El Porvenir benefits from the sage involvement of renowned winemaker Paul Hobbs, who has been involved here for many years. The company is run by the energetic Lucia Romero-Marcuzzi and the packaging and labels reflect the Inca Cross which is a common symbol in this part of the Andes.

Clear pale lemon in colour with pronounced intensity and notes of jasmine tea, blossom, peach, apricot, grapefruit, nectarine, and cream. This wine is dry with low acidity, high alcohol, full body, and medium plus finish

Not to detract from their authentic Jura heart, the two Pelican whites - Chardonnay and Savagnin - offer an instantly lovable journey into Jura style for those wary of oxidative surprises as both are made 'topped-up' rather than in oxidative style and with a clear salute to the heritage of their grand Burgundian owner. On the nose a Meursault-esque reductive whiff, ozone and saline, tempered tempting posh new oak; even before a sip these are out and proud posh wines. The Savagnin is wild, vegetal in a fine garden/herb garden sense, salty and zesty and oddly sweet mango and hot straw, almost Savennieres-like with its broad back, whack of acid and suave new-oak integration. Chardonnay smells like top end Bien Nacido but unfurls into Jura idiom with fine acidity, limpid lift, seashells and citrus. Both, quite frankly, nicely-priced for such a grand, fascinating and extraordinary wines. I'd 100% recommend both - try them together! Jancisrobinson.com 17/20

Fruity that expresses a beautiful aromatic complexity, and which presents a beautiful balance carried by a great freshness.

Great aromatic intensity on the nose,with tropical notes followed by floral scents; lemon, peach, grapefruit, elder flower, hawthorn and lime blossom. A whole, flowering fruit orchard to discover. The palate offers fine balance between the fresh attack and the long, fruity finish. Sniff the empty glass and you’ll find the aromas still there, as intense and lingering as ever! A perfect match for seafood whatever the occasion. Ideal with shellfish and smoked salmon.

Deliciously rounded wine with a crisp and clean finish balanced nicely by gentle acidity.

Jancis Robinson 18/20 Cask sample. Deep cooper colour. Not star bright. A very distinctive look. A divisive wine. Technicians might reject it while naturophiles would admire it. Honey and cooking apples on the nose. Tastes as though there was some skin contact and there is still a little residual sugar and there is masses of chew. Very exciting and distinctive wine. Seems to have been made from very ripe oaked Marsanne. One of those wines in which astringency does the job of acidity. (JR) Parker  Wine Advocate RP (89-92) Reviewed by:     Jeb Dunnuck Release Price: NA Drink Date:     2015 - 2021 Tasted out of barrel, the 2014 Saint Péray Fleur de Crussol is the top white of the estate and checks in as 100% Marsanne that’s brought up all in barrel, with plenty of lees contact. It offers lots of golden fruits, buttered lemon, dried herbs and a kiss of minerality to go with a medium-bodied, nicely balanced, textured style on the palate. I was able to taste this twice, in a larger appellation tasting and then during my visit at the domaine, and in both cases, the lees component really stood out. Nevertheless, I suspect it will come together nicely once in bottle and have 5-6 years of longevity. This is another terrific lineup from Albéric Mazoyer and Alain Voge, and this estate continues to make a number of sensational Cornas, and more and more, a bevy of top Saint Pérays. The three Cornas releases include the les Chailles, the Vieilles Vignes and the flagship Vieilles Fontaines. The les Chailles comes all from the same named lieu-dit and includes some of the younger vines of the estate. It’s aged mostly in two- to five-year-old barrels. The Vieilles Vignes release comes from a selection of old vines (eight to nine different parcels) and is aged for roughly 20 months in 15% new French oak. Lastly, the flagship release is the Les Vieilles Fontaines, which is only made in top vintages (it was not made in 2013 or 2014). It comes from the Vieilles Fontaines lieu-dit, the oldest vines of the estate, and spends 24 months in 25% new French oak. As I’ve said before, the style here seems slightly modern, but this is due more to purity of fruit than oak elevage, as even the top cuvee only sees 25% new oak. In addition, they continue to move to larger and larger formats for aging. As to the vintages reviewed here, the 2013s have a classic feel and show the fresher, prettier style of the vintage, yet back it up with the fruit, texture and purity that’s the hallmark of this estate. The 2014s look to be at a similar level of quality, yet should be more approachable in their youth.

Parker 92 "Huet's 2016 Vouvray Le Haut-Lieu Moelleux offers a clear, fresh and intense bouquet of ripe and super-ripe fruits along with some chalky aromas. Lush, sweet and piquant, with cooked apricot flavors on the palate, this is a generous, precise and very elegant Haut-Lieu that will develop very well over the next several decades. The wine has grip and tension on the finish and reveals a persistent salty purity. There is no makeup anywhere but pure potential. A gorgeous wine not because it's sweet (51 grams of residual sugar) but lush, precise, long and stimulating. Tasted February 2018. Huet's winemaker Jean-Bernard Barthomé classifies the complicated 2016 vintage as "exceptional" in so far as the frost from April 27th reduced 50% of the potential yields. 2016 was also exceptional due to the endless rainfalls in spring that were followed by an exceptional period of drought between July and November. The harvest? "Exceptional!" It started October 6th and went on for three beautiful weeks under a blue, luminous sky. "Beautiful conditions prior to and during the harvest allowed us to make multiple passes through the vineyards," he said, which led to the production of the entire range of table wines from Sec to Première Trie and even the rarely produced "Cuvée Constance" (I haven't tasted the latter yet, though). Bottled in April 2017, all the wines are very delicate, elegant, pure and superbly balanced expressions of their specific terroirs. The Clos du Bourg Moelleux is the first since 2009, and it is fabulous. However, my personal wine of the vintage is the 2016 Le Mont Moelleux Première Trie, which is a very complex and truly exciting Chenin Blanc from flint and green clay soils! Its light, fresh, pure and concentrated style reflects the vintage perfectly, with firm yet vibrant structure, a salty taste, crystalline acidity and a long, complex finish that reflects the great terroir of Le Mont."

Delicious dry white from Emporda in Northern Catalunya,

Jancis Robinson MW "Well done!" Parker's Wine Advocate "One of Champagne's finest houses, Pol Roger produces among the most consistent ranges of all the Grandes Marques. The style is full-bodied and elegantly fleshy, dominated by Pinot Noir... the maison privileges its NV Brut Réserve—and indeed, while many non-vintage Bruts fluctuate in quality, Pol Roger's "white foil" bottling is both remarkably reliable and long-lived—which ranks as one of the region's best values."

This wine has rich apricot flavours, alongside notes of beeswax and walnuts. The finish combines a lively acidity with a subtle tannic grip, making it the perfect accompaniment to food