Reds
Roll over: All the Amen Break wines are made with minimal winemaker intervention and a healthy dose of soul.
Amen Break are by brothers Matt and Steve Harrop.
We work with the rhythm of each vintage to find fruit that best expresses the season. Our Pinot Noir was grown at Zebra Vineyard on the northern elevations of the Bendigo area in Central Otago.
All the Amen Break wines are made with minimal winemaker intervention and a healthy dose of soul. To that we say Amen, Brother.
The Amen Break is a legendary six second, four bar drum solo performed by Gregory Sylvester “G. C.”. Coleman in the song “Amen, Brother” performed by the 1960s funk and soul outfit The Winstons.
The Amen Break has become the most sampled drum beat in musical history. It is considered the foundation rhythmic beat for the much of the electronic musical genre (Trip Hop, Drum ’n Bass, Jungle, Psych Trance etc.) that exploded in the late 80’s and early 90s of last century.
Roll over: 100% Martinborough Pinot Noir
Helio is the side project put together by talented Clearview winemakers Sarah & Matt Kirby and wine entrepreneur Dave Nash.
Roll over: Strong red fruit aromas backed by spicy notes. Rich and focused palate framing the red fruit.
Strong red fruit aromas backed by spicy notes. Rich and focused palate framing the red fruit. Tannins are constant from the beginning to end, finishing with a pleasant grip that suggests ageability.
Settlement are passionate about producing delicious wines that are expressions of a single vineyard block and respectful of the land the fruit comes from. They seek out the most distinguished parcels of fruit from some of Marlborough’s finest organic single vineyards, to create four wines that reflect the diverse parcels of land the fruit comes from. The wines produced – a Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Riesling and Pinot Noir - are well suited to Marlborough’s soil profile and climate and are sourced from individual sites in the Wairau and Southern Valley’s renowned for their silty clay loams, established vines, and organic farming practices. By choosing exceptional vineyard sites, little is required from the winery. The purity of fruit and flavour is nurtured in the organic vineyard, and any variation in season is embraced in the winery with little intervention required during the winemaking process. Creating elegant, complex and structured wines
Roll over: Rich and Intense.
Bold dark cherry compote flavors are liberally laced with violet, savory and singed anise notes. Features a nice flash of warm earth through the finish. Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre.
In an amazing example of vinous lineage, the Chave family has been growing grapes on the hill of Hermitage since 1481. Today the estate is run by Gerard Chave and his son Jean-Louis and they produce some of the regions finest wines including a red & white Hermitage, a St-Joseph and a Côtes du Rhône Mon Coeur. Superb vineyard holdings including prime slices of Bessards, L'Hermite, Peleat and Meal in Hermitage, and incredibly high standards in both the vineyard and cellar, the wines are made in a very hands-off fashion and show great detail, nuance and regional typicity.
Roll over: 100% Hawkes Bay Syrah
Helio is the side project put together by talented Clearview winemakers Sarah & Matt Kirby and wine entrepreneur Dave Nash.
Roll over: Looking for the finest grapes with which to craft the finest wines, Albert Bichot has gradually bought vineyards in the most sought-after locations in Burgundy.
Domaines Albert Bichot is a leading family-owned and run negociant house and estate owner in Burgundy, formed in 1831 and now based in the town of Beaune. The Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grape varieties are unsurprisingly the main focus; the company also produces red wines from the Gamay grape in Beaujolais to the south.
Roll over: Looking for the finest grapes with which to craft the finest wines, Albert Bichot has gradually bought vineyards in the most sought-after locations in Burgundy.
Domaines Albert Bichot is a leading family-owned and run negociant house and estate owner in Burgundy, formed in 1831 and now based in the town of Beaune. The Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grape varieties are unsurprisingly the main focus; the company also produces red wines from the Gamay grape in Beaujolais to the south.
Roll over: Prophet’s flagship Pinot Noir – their no compromise obsession.
The 2022 Home Vineyard Pinot Noir is possessed of a most exciting display of red fruits and ductile tannin in concert. The tannins have a much closer, more densely packed feeling than the unfurling/spooling Olearia. There’s pomegranate, red and black cherry, licorice, star anise and even a hint of cumin seed. It's a wonderful wine that I know from experience benefits from a decant, which allows the fruit to stretch its legs, so to speak. Supple, throaty and full but not big. Still composure. 13.5% alcohol, sealed under Diam. 94+Robert Parker.com
Prophet’s Rock know that great wines begin in the vineyard. That’s why they embrace an approach to winemaking that shares the splendour of the place rather than pronounced winemaking characteristics. The result Iconic wines that invoke Central Otago’s striking, unforgettable beauty.
Roll over: A monopole of Domaine Faiveley
Deeper-pitched and more brooding than the more ethereal Framboisière, Faiveley's 2020 Mercurey 1er Cru Clos des Myglands delivers aromas of ripe cherries, berries, licorice, bitter chocolate and spices. Medium to full-bodied, rich and layered, with a concentrated core of fruit and powdery tannins, it will demand a bit of patience this year. William Kelley robertparker.com
Roll over: Leeuwin Estate is one of the five founding wineries in the Margaret River
Aromatic and extremely complex, a big wine with many nuances. Green olive, cedar, blueberry and wild blackberry flavors are at the core of this dense, succulent red, with velvety, polished tannins. Complexity only gains on the finish, where nuances of tobacco, thyme, sarsaparilla and Earl Grey tea linger. Drink now through 2037. WS94
Roll over: An exclusive partnership of two extraordinary men who are passionate about producing wines of exceptional quality
Full, ruby-red with an inky core, lighter on the rim. The bouquet is elegantly expressive, enticing nuances of black plums, blackberries interweave cloves and nutmeg, cedar, vanilla and violet. Full-bodied, aromas of plums, cassis and blackberries have purity and depth, savoury mushroom, cedar unfolds, along with violets, nutmeg, cloves barrel spices, linger to a long, satisfying finish. The fruit is the star, pristine with great flavour and depth; quality oak used to elevate and enrich the complexity, added savoury mealiness, fine barrel spices, cedar details, left a velvety mouthfeel contributed by finely extracted tannins. The wine is broody and flavoursome; black fruit enriched by elegant oak details flows harmoniously on a velvety palate. Match with braised short ribs and Perigord truffle over the next 10-15 years. A blend of Merlot 57%, Cabernet Sauvignon 35%, Cabernet Franc 5% & 3% Malbec. Handpicked, hand-sorted, destemmed, cold-soaked for 3 days, fermented to 13.6% alc, aged in 100% French oak for 12-14 months, 28% new and 72% one-year-old barrels. Egg white fined and filtered before bottling. 1,200 bottles produced. 19+/20 pts (96 pts) Sept 2021 Raymond Chan Wine Reviews
Roll over: Chanson Pere & Fils en Bourgogne (Domaine Chanson) is a wine producer and négociant based in the central Burgundian town of Beaune
Neat, composed, non-showy nose. Attractive stoniness and freshness with some fine tannin but there is energy here rather than just ripeness. Very juicy and fine-boned. Jancis Robinson.com
Roll over: Rich and Intense.
Bold dark cherry compote flavors are liberally laced with violet, savory and singed anise notes. Features a nice flash of warm earth through the finish. Syrah, Grenache and Mourvèdre.
In an amazing example of vinous lineage, the Chave family has been growing grapes on the hill of Hermitage since 1481. Today the estate is run by Gerard Chave and his son Jean-Louis and they produce some of the regions finest wines including a red & white Hermitage, a St-Joseph and a Côtes du Rhône Mon Coeur. Superb vineyard holdings including prime slices of Bessards, L'Hermite, Peleat and Meal in Hermitage, and incredibly high standards in both the vineyard and cellar, the wines are made in a very hands-off fashion and show great detail, nuance and regional typicity.
Roll over: Wine Spectator Wine of the Year 2023 Brunello is the soul, the identity of Argiano: elegance, finesse and, at the same time, structure and long aging.
Rose, strawberry and cherry aromas and flavors are the main themes in this red, along with wild herb, mineral and cut hay accents. Racy and full of energy, with a long, saturated finish. Best from 2025 through 2042. 9,400 cases made Jun 2023 95 points Wine Spectator Wine of the Year 2023
Roll over: Looking for the finest grapes with which to craft the finest wines, Albert Bichot has gradually bought vineyards in the most sought-after locations in Burgundy.
A rich swath of black cherry, rose and oak spice aromas and flavors marks this opulent red. Backed by vibrant acidity and well-integrated tannins, this ends in a cascade of fruit and spice. Very silky and harmonious. Best from 2021 through 2038. Wine Spectator 93points
Roll over: One of the pioneering Martinborough wineries, Dry River has the advantage of having a decent proportion of older vines.
Darker notes of oak, oak bark and toasted cumin and coriander spices contrast with lifted fruits of cassis, blood orange, raspberry, and cherries. Then there are the grounding aromatics by way of freshly cut barley straw, nutmeg, and fresh thyme. It reminds me a little bit of the 2010 vintage, with its cooler finish that showed interesting contrasts of aromatics.
We have seen a lively and fresh acidity in the 2020 white wines, which also shows in the Pinot Noir. It gives clear direction, drive, and tension - verging on that dissonance mentioned earlier - and shows the lines over the length of the palate, accentuating the fine tannins and leaving little “space” for the depth and concentration of the fruit to show. Don’t be fooled, the fruit is there. The wine just needs a bit of time to show its generosity and warmth, something we all seem to crave at the moment. - Dry River
