Hudson ‘Wharekaka’ Martinborough Riesling 2009  4 stars

Bright, light golden-yellow colour with some depth, lighter on the edge.  The nose is elegantly concentrated with fine and moderately intense aromas of lime fruit harmoniously entwined with notes of toast and a little honey, and a subtle layer of minerals.  Off-dry to taste and medium-bodied, the palate is elegant in presentation with a fine core of lime fruit melded with toast notes and some mineral elements.  The palate is firm in line with good acid liveliness and the wine carries to a slightly drying finish.  This is an elegant, fine and firmly concentrated medium-dry Riesling with lime, toast and mineral flavours, good linearity and liveliness, and a dry finish.  This has matured into an elegant and taut wine, with secondary development, that is just beginning to show the beginnings of dryness.  Drink now and over the next 2 years.

Hudson ‘Wharekaka’ Martinborough Riesling 2009  4 stars

Bright, light golden-yellow colour with some depth, lighter on the edge.  The nose is elegantly concentrated with fine and moderately intense aromas of lime fruit harmoniously entwined with notes of toast and a little honey, and a subtle layer of minerals.  Off-dry to taste and medium-bodied, the palate is elegant in presentation with a fine core of lime fruit melded with toast notes and some mineral elements.  The palate is firm in line with good acid liveliness and the wine carries to a slightly drying finish.  This is an elegant, fine and firmly concentrated medium-dry Riesling with lime, toast and mineral flavours, good linearity and liveliness, and a dry finish.  This has matured into an elegant and taut wine, with secondary development, that is just beginning to show the beginnings of dryness.  Drink now and over the next 2 years.

Alana Sauvignon Blanc 2016 Martinborough
Elegantly expressed and beautifully ripe, the bouquet shows white stone fruit, lemon peel, floral and dill aromas, which lead to a finely textured palate that delivers excellent focus and palate weight. The wine is beautifully rounded and long, and refreshing to the finish. At its best: now to 2020.

A 6 pack containing one of each of the wines below, a stunning sampler box

The wine has an attractive bright and brilliant colour with a ruby tint and a full open nose on lovely fresh red fruit and cherry aromas mingled with more complex notes of spice and clove. Very expressive on the palate it quickly opens out on round fine tannins sustained by seductive wild berry flavours (blackberry) with a slightly mineral touch. The rich and generous finish strikes just the right balance between the wine’s rounded structure and array of flavours perfectly expressing the character of the appellation. Ready to drink now it is perfect accompaniment to red meats and cheese.

The Castello di Poppiano has been run by the traditional Guicciardini family since 1150 with great success. The winery is based in the family castle. Young and lively wine of ruby ​​color with a vinous bouquet which is intense but pleasant and very drinkable.

Typical flavours are red fruits from the darker end of the spectrum. Around 5-8 years Barbera’s fruit dims, becoming more savoury, slightly feral and forest-floor like. Let the wine breath and open up…just delightful.  A red wine made from Barbera grown in this grape variety’s native zone, the Monferrato hills of central Piedmont. The wine became a DOC in 1970, and was promoted to DOCG in 2008. Barbera d’Asti is made from 100% Barbera. A typical Piedmontese wine of top winemaker Claudio Icardi

Château Les Belles Murailles

is located on the outskirts of Bordeaux, in the district of Saint-Loubès. Inspiration for its name came from ancient fortified walls, which today stand in ruins amid the vines.

In 1896, the Château was acquired by the Manaud family. 5 generations have followed, and since August 2011, Marie-Isabelle Manaud-Guibbert, with her husband Laurent, are proud to be able to produce a highly traditional Bordeaux wine, made from a blend of the 5 Bordeaux grape varieties: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot. Like the most prestigious Bordeaux Crus, the wines are aged for several months in oak barrels, with the focus on seeking the perfect balance of fruit and oak. This is a Bordeaux wine with stunning aromatic complexity, structured for ageing.

«WELL-STRUCTURED BORDEAUX WINE FOR KEEPING» “The wine at Château Les Belles Murailles, with its lovely dark red colour tinged with subtle terracotta shades, is concentrated and intense on the bouquet, revealing well-balanced oak and fruit. On the finish, the wine demonstrates impressively lingering aromatics and subtle, silky tannins.”
Thomas Drouineau, winemaker, Maison Delor

This Merlot offers a plum and blackberry aroma game with nuances of vanilla and spices.

A good density and a harmonious finish provides plenty of drinking pleasure.

Alana Pinot Gris 2016 Martinborough 91/100 4.5 Stars
A youthful charmer, this is stylish and elegantly expressed, displaying fragrant aromas of white peach, fresh pear, floral and citrus on the nose. The palate delivers lovely fruit purity and fine texture, beautifully wrapped in bright acidity. It is long and fine, and delightfully refreshing.

Alana Pinot Gris 2017 Martinborough
Bright, light golden-yellow colour with some depth and a hint of blush, lighter edged.  The nose is fresh with gently voluminous aromas of fragrant white and yellow stonefruits along with notes of honey, hints of exotic florals and nuances of musk.  This has a refreshing steeliness, and unveils some lifted fermentation esters.  Dry to taste and medium-bodied, the palate is somewhat slender with tautness, showing soft and light flavours of stonefruits and florals with hints of honey.  The mouthfeel is brisk and zesty with racy acidity, and the wine possesses a light, textural line.  The flavours recede as the wine carries to the finish.  This is a taut, up-front dry Pinot Gris with light aromatic stonefruit, floral and honied flavours on a racy palate with light phenolic grip.  Serve as an aperitif and with antipasto over the next 2 years, fermented in tank with approx. 18% in barrel to 12.7% alc. and approx. 5 g/L RS, the wine aged 10 months on lees with a little batonnage

Alana Estate Riesling 2014 Martinborough 93/100 5 Stars
It’s instantly appealing on the nose showing mandarin, nectarine and floral characters with a hint of spice complexity. The succulent and lively palate displays subtle sweetness which is perfectly framed by bright acidity. The wine is silky, flowing and very attractive with loads of tasty flavours.

Alana Estate Riesling 2015 Martinborough  4 Stars
Full, even straw-yellow colour with lemon-gold hues, pale edged.  The bouquet is softly full with a moderately concentrated heart of lime fruit melded with secondary toast, honey and mineral notes.  This has a gentle presence.  Medium-dry to taste and medium-bodied, the palate is soft and gently mouthfilling with delicate flavours of lime fruit harmoniously intermixed with honied and secondary toasty development notes.  The mouthfeel is bright and vibrant with fresh acidity, and the wine carries along a light-textured line leading to a lingering finish.  This is a gently mouthfilling medium-dry Riesling with harmonious lime, toast, honied and mineral flavours on a vibrant palate.  Match with Asian cuisine over the next 4 years, fermented in tank and a very small portion on skins in puncheon to 12.4% alc. and 11 g/L RS

Alana Estate Riesling 2016 Martinborough  4 Stars
Bright, even straw-yellow colour with hints of light gold.  The nose is firm and intense with well-packed aromas of lime and lemonade fruit, white and yellow florals, complexed by a thread of toasty secondary development.  This has depth and finesse.  Off-dry to taste and light-medium bodied, the palate has good depth and intensity of ripe lime and lemonade fruit flavours, along with floral and toasty detail.  The fruit forms a well-concentrated heart and shows good presence, and is balanced by fresh, lacy acidity.  The wine is guided by a very fine line, with good energy, leading to a long, lingering finish.  This is a well-concentrated off-dry Riesling with intense flavours of lime, florals and toast, balanced acidity and a fine flow.  Serve as an aperitif and with Mediterranean fare over the next 4-5 years with no botrytis, cool-fermented to 10.1% alc. and 8.2 g/L RS.  18.0+/20

Alana Estate Riesling 2017 Martinborough 

Bright straw-yellow colour with a little depth, lighter on the rim.  The nose is very elegant with fresh, light aromas of lime fruit interwoven with subtle notes of honeysuckle and a little muskiness, unfolding chalky mineral elements.  Off-dry to taste and light-medium bodied, the palate has light fruit flavours of limes entwined with soft floral and herb nuances, along with a little honeysuckle and musk.  The palate is slender in expression with moderate depth, and is enlivened by brisk acidity.  The wine flows along a light, phenolic-textured line with some drying grip to balance the fruit sweetness.  The flavours recede as the wine carries to the finish.  This is a slender off-dry Riesling with light lime, floral, herb and musk flavours on a crisp, dry-textured palate.  Serve as an aperitif over the next 2+ years.  approx. 10% botrytis, cool-fermented in tank to 11.9% alc. and 6.5 g/L RS.  16.5/20  Mar 2018  RRP $32.00

Alana Estate Chardonnay 2015, 4 Stars

Bright, light golden-yellow colour, paler on the edge.  This has an elegantly proportioned nose with bright and aromatic white and yellow stonefruits with finely integrated notes of nutty oak and creamy barrel-ferment, and nuances of flinty lees.  The aromatics are fresh and lively.  Medium-bodied, the palate has gently sweet and succulent flavours of white and yellow stonefruits, some tropical fruit elements, harmoniously entwined with subtle creamy barrel-ferment textures and soft, nutty oak.  The palate has good balance with a soft, smooth, textural flow and fine, lacy acidity.  A little flintiness unfolds and the wine carries to an elegant finish.  This is an elegantly proportioned, sweet-fruited Chardonnay with stonefruit and tropical fruit flavours, balanced by creamy and nutty oak on a smooth palate.  Serve with poultry and pork dishes over the next 4+ years. , fully barrel-fermented to 12.7% alc., the wine aged 10 months on lees in approx. 20% new oak, undergoing 100% MLF.  17.5/20  Mar 2018  RRP $33.00

Alana Estate Chardonnay 2016,

Brilliant light golden-yellow colour with some depth, light on the rim.  The nose is softly concentrated with up-front aromas of white and yellow stonefruits, along with an amalgam of nutty oak and flinty lees, unveiling some smokiness and chalky mineral elements.  The aromatics build to form a solid core.  Medium-full bodied, the palate has up-front and fulsome flavours of yellow stonefruits with complexing notes of creamy barrel-ferment, nutty oak and subtle oxidative elements, unfolding a layering of lemon-curd MLF.  The mouthfeel is robust and vigorous and the flavours flow with some drive along a lightly-textured palate line, leading to a nutty finish.  This is an up-front, flavoursome Chardonnay with stonefruit, nutty oak and lemon-curd MLF flavours on a robust. Slightly grippy palate.  Match with poultry and pork over the next 4 years.  WBP and fully barrel-fermented to 12.9% alc., the wine aged 10 months on lees in 12% new oak, undergoing 100% MLF.   Mar 2018  RRP $33.00

Alana Estate ‘White Blend’ Martinborough Blanc 2014  4 Stars

Brilliant straw-yellow colour with light lemon-gold hues, pale edged.  The nose is elegantly concentrated with fine and intense aromas of white stonefruit, white florals and subtle notes of fresh herbs and a little secondary waxiness.  This has a well-packed core to the bouquet.  Dry to taste and medium-bodied, the palate has a good heart of white stonefruit flavours entwined with delicate floral and herbal elements, and some waxiness.  The fruit is moderately rich, forming a concentrated heart with a suggestion of unctuousness.  The richness is countered by lacy acidity and a fine phenolic thread which guides the wine to an elegant finish.  This is a dry Gruner Veltliner/Riesling blend with stonefruit, herb and secondary waxy flavours on a palate with some richness.  Match with Mediterranean cuisine over the next 2-3 years.  Martinborough fruit, a blend of 60% Gruner Veltliner and 40% Riesling, fermented in stainless-steel to 11.6% alc. and dryness, the wine aged 4 months on lees.  17.5-/20  Mar 2018  RRP $28.00

Les Amis d’Alana 2014 Bordeaux

It is beautifully fruited on the nose displaying dark plum and blueberry characters with game, dried herb and nutmeg nuances. The palate is ripe and nicely weighted, offers silky mouthfeel backed by fine, delicately drying tannins. A superbly priced Bordeaux delivering excellent fruit intensity. At its best: now to 2020. May 2016.

Alana Lumiere Pinot Noir 2017

Even, light red colour with some purple hues, pale on the rim.  The nose is soft and gently full with light aromas of savoury red berry fruit melded with an amalgam of herbs and nutty oak, unfolding red floral elements.  This is broad with presence and possesses some complexing interest.  Medium-full bodied, the palate has good depth and weight, showing savoury red berry fruit with notes of herbs and resinous, nutty oak, and red floral nuances.  The mouthfeel has breadth and presence, with soft acidity lending roundness.  Light tannin extraction provides a background framework that carries the wine to a moderately vigorous, lingering, savoury finish.  This is a broad and mouthfilling Pinot Noir with savoury red fruits, subtle herb and nutty oak notes on a rounded, but structured palate.  Match with wild duck and pork, and mushroom dishes over the next 3 years. , fully destemmed and fermented to 12.9% alc., the wine aged 10 months in seasoned oak.

Alana Pinot Noir 2014 Martinborough 93/100 5 Stars
This is immediately appealing on the nose displaying dark plum, blueberry, cedar and vanilla aromas with a touch of truffle complexity. The palate offers excellent fruit intensity and weight, as well as plush texture and loads of polished tannins. Wonderfully expressive and refined at the same time. Fabulous. At its best: now to 2022.

“Even ruby-red colour, a little lighter on the rim. The nose is full and voluminous with ripe, up-front dark-red cherry and berry fruit aromas entwined with subtle notes of savoury herbs unfolding plum and raspberry liqueur notes with whole cluster stalk complexities. Medium-full bodied, the palate has bright and lively fruit flavours of dark-red cherries and berries entwined with notes of dark herbs and savoury whole bunch stalk nuances. The fruit is supported by supple, fine-grained tannin extraction with powdery textures, and the palate is enlivened by fresh, lacy acidity. The fruit is juicy and lush, and carries to a fine, lingering, dry finish of dark cherry fruit and herbs. This is a bright, juicy and flavoursome Pinot Noir with cherry and berry fruit flavours along with dark herb and stalk complexities on a fresh, fine-textured palate. Match with duck, lamb, beef and venison dishes over the next 5-6. Vines 12-23 y.o., fermented with 25% whole bunches to 13.5% alc. The wine on skins 10-28 days and aged 10 months in 20% new French oak.” Raymond Chan, March 2017 RRP $32

Alana Estate Martinborough Pinot Noir 2016  4 stars

Even ruby-red colour with slight purple hues, a little lighter on the edge, youthful in appearance.  The nose is moderately concentrated and packed with aromas of dark-red cherry and berry fruit subtly melded with a thread of dark herbs and suggestions of whole bunch stalk-like elements, unfolding a little raspberry liqueur and earth.  Medium-full bodied, the palate has rich and sweet fruit flavours of dark-red cherry and raspberry fruit along with subtle herbal nuances.  The fruit has lusciousness, and forms a lively and vibrant heart, enlivened by fresh acidity.  Light, balanced tannin extraction supports the fruit and the wine leads to a light- fruit-sweet finish.  This is a moderately sweet and rich cherry and raspberry fruited Pinot Noir on a fresh palate with balanced structure.  Match with lamb, beef and venison over the next 4-5 years.  primarily Abel clone, fermented with approx. 30% whole bunches to 13.2% alc., the wine aged 10 months in approx. 20% new oak.

Alana Limited Release Pinot Noir

The best areas of the Pinot Noir vineyard was identified and throughout the viticulture season , these vines received particular and very careful management. The grapes from these vines were kept separate and the 10 barrels these vines produced were monitored through the barrel aging process. Finally the best two of these barrels of wine were selected by the winemaker as being the best two barrels from the vintage. A very limited amount of wine was then bottled, and the balance of the barrels were blended in with the Estate Pinot Noir. The Estate Pinot Noir was ranked a 95/100 by Huon Hooke…Huon didn’t taste the Limited Release so we can only wonder what he would have rated that at!
I tried a bottle of this wine recently and was simply blown away by the fruit flavours, the complexity and length of the finish…If you want a bottle to cellar and really impress your wine buddies…then you must get some of this…

Alana Estate ‘Limited Release’ Martinborough Pinot Noir 2012 5 Stars
A barrel selection wine, made from fruit from the original 1993 plantings, fermented with 10% whole cluster, and aged 14 months in 30% new French oak. Very dark, deep, black-hued ruby-red with some garnet on rim. Densely packed aromas of ripe dark berry fruits, plums and liquorice meld with spicy oak layers forming a solid and fulsome bouquet. Medium-full bodied, rich and ripe flavours of plums and dark berries are expressed with stylish restraint. The palate has good depth and presence with a smooth-flowing, velvety mouthfeel, driven by some alcohol power. Fine-grained tannins provide linearity and balance to the fruit sweetness. Fresh, lively acidity underlines the fruit and structure, enhancing the energy, and delivering a degree of elegance. Layers of spicy plums, liquorice and oak blossom on the lingering, dry finish. This is a smooth and fine-textured Pinot Noir featuring rich plum and oak flavours. Serve with pork, beef and lamb dishes over the next 6-8 years. 200 cases made. 18.5-/20 Dec 2013 RRP $65.00