Ata Rangi is rightly considered to be one of New Zealand’s top Pinot Noir producers. This is a special cuvée that they make from a small portion of the vineyard…
Interesting Marlborough: Corofin, with Mike Paterson
Mike Paterson used to be the winemaker at Jackson Estate, but now he’s making his own wines, along with his wife Anna, under the Corofin label. The idea behind Corofin…
Interesting Marlborough: the Pioneer Block wines from Saint Clair
Back in 1978, in the early days of Marlborough, Neal and Judy Ibbotson planted grapes, and began supplying Montana. Fast forward 16 years and they decided to launch their own…
The Pétrus-beating Ravanes Les Gravières du Taurou 2000, at age 17
There’s a story behind this wine, and it’s quite a fun one. I tasted it first blind, back in 2004. This was a blind tasting comparing the best of Languedoc-Roussillon…
Pink bubbles: Cloudy Bay and Gentle Folk
Two bottles of pink fizz that went down well. The Cloudy Bay was a real surprise: encountered on a couple of occasions and really delicious. Gentle Folk ‘Pink Fizz’ Pinot…
Are anti-cork sentiments softening in New Zealand and Australia?
One thing I’m noticing in Australia and New Zealand of late: the growing number of producers using cork for high-end bottlings. This would have been unthinkable five years ago, such…
Grower Champagne: Roses de Jeanne Côte de Val Vilaine Blanc de Noirs
Cedric Bouchard is one of the new generation of star growers in Champagne. Based in the Côte des Bar in the Aube, in the south of Champagne, he only began…
Interesting Marlborough: Fromm, single-vineyard pioneers
Fromm is an important winery for Marlborough, because they were one of the first to champion single vineyards in the region. They are also unusual in that in a white…
Interesting Marlborough: Mahi, with Brian Bicknell
Brian Bicknell has made wine in the Marlborough region since 1989, so he knows the region pretty well. But he’s also had spells abroad, providing much needed context. Most significantly,…