Whites & Rosé
Roll over: 100% Hawkes Bay Chardonnay
The very first job of Chardonnay is to be refreshing.
Helio Chardonnay has a hint of reduction on the nose, reminiscent of freshly struck flint. This gives way to juicy stone fruit and a touch of grapefruit. An attractive oyster shell mouth feel gives a pithy texture, paired with cleansing citrus and stone fruit on the palate. You’ll be going back for a second glass before you know it. A long finish of quenching bitterness and a hint of toasted vanilla from the old oak barrels makes for seriously food friendly Chardonnay.
Pair with good friends, crayfish, risotto, chargrilled chicken or well seasoned fish.
Helio is the side project put together by talented Clearview winemakers Sarah & Matt Kirby and wine entrepreneur Dave Nash.
Roll over: An exclusive partnership of two extraordinary men who are passionate about producing wines of exceptional quality
French master winemaker Ludwig Vanneron believes the Chardonnay fruit grown in New Zealand is no different to Burgundy, it’s the understanding of terroir and the consistent effort of vine caring that is required. LVCA are looking for flavour concentration with fully ripen grape condition giving a perfect level of phenolic compounds. The fruit is grown in Maraekakaho (a small appellation of Hawkes Bay), being more inland with cooler allows extra time to hang the fruit to reach its full ripeness slowly helping to retain good acidity. Clone B95 is 100% fully fermented in tight-grained French barrels between 10-12 months with occasionally bâttonage. The result with an astonishing pleasant nose of yellow lily and popcorn, with succulent golden peach and tangerine, the rich creamy texture coating bright stone -fruit buttery taste which leaves memorable experience like their brother, Petit Frere.
Roll over: The concentration of this wine is balanced by remarkable freshness.
Fresh and lively, it sings on the palate! Pear, apple, spice, florals and honeyed notes can all be found in this complex wine made with Pinot Gris from the Home Vineyard site. The luscious texture is followed by incredible refreshing acidity, leaving the palate cleansed and wanting more.
This rich, layered and complex wine manages to retain freshness and structure thanks to the elevation of the site and the concentration from the drying process.
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: Domaine Leflaive, based in Puligny Montrachet, is one of the most important producers in the Côte de Beaune.
A pretty nose is comprised by pronounced floral elements that add a touch of elegance to the bright citrus and apple scents. The middle weight flavours exude a bracing salinity on the clean and nicely dry finale. While this could easily be enjoyed upon release, it offers enough development to reward a few years of keeping. Burghound
Roll over: "Floral nose, with fruity aromas enhanced by intense mineral notes and developing lightly smoky touches. Very round on the palate, both full-bodied and refined." - William Fevre
The 2021 Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses is pure and ethereal, mingling notes of citrus soil, wet stones and white flowers in a youthfully discreet bouquet. Full-bodied, satiny and suave, it's refined and glossy, with racy acids and a saline finish. Robert Parker.com
Roll over: "Charming bouquet with astonishing fruitiness and a good mineral character. The powerful, strongly constituted palate lacks neither elegance nor roundness." - William Fevre
Aromas of orange zest, peach, oyster shells, white flowers and freshly baked bread preface the 2021 Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos, a full-bodied, layered and textural wine of impressive breadth and depth in this vintage, exhibiting considerable concentration and concluding with a long, electric finish. This will delight Chablis purists. Robert Parker.com
Roll over: Excellent nerve and acidity with real cut and potential.
The 2021 Chablis 1er Cru Vaulorent is another of the range's highlights, bursting with aromas of white flowers, sweet citrus oil, white peach and blanched almonds. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and seamless, it's concentrated and complete, with racy acids and a saline, orange blossom-inflected finish. Robert Parker.com
Roll over: Full-bodied palate, with lovely roundness.
The 2021 Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons reveals a perfumed bouquet of white flowers, citrus zest, crisp orchard fruit and shells, followed by a medium to full-bodied, satiny and seamless palate that's bright and charming, with a pure, elegant profile. This has turned out beautifully. Robert Parker.com
Roll over: A wine for Chablis lovers because of its freshness
The 2021 Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre is a lovely classic, unwinding in the glass to reveal aromas of white flowers, citrus zest, crisp green apple and oyster shells, followed by a medium to full-bodied, satiny and incisive palate that's pure, layered and structured, concluding with a penetrating finish. This will reward a bit of patience. Robert Parker.com
Roll over: The pride of Tasmania
Classic Tolpuddle backbone of acidity, yellow grapefruit, lemon pith, and some flinty minerality. A combination of lightness, delicacy and texture.
Roll over: 100% Hawkes Bay Chardonnay
The very first job of Chardonnay is to be refreshing.
A bouquet of purity and focus with scents of fresh red apple and peach, citrus and moments of pith. There’s a definitive layer of stone and clay mineral then soft barrel scents, lees and complexities from the synergies presented. Satin cream textures touch the palate first then flavours of citrus, apple and white peach. As the wine opens out in glass and becomes ambient the impact of acidity, ripe fruits and soil mineral qualities begin to emerge. Taut, youthful and dry, a lengthy finish with a fine mealy mouthfeel and developing complexity. Best drinking from 2024 through 2032. 95 points Cameron Douglas MS
Pair with good friends, crayfish, risotto, chargrilled chicken or well seasoned fish.
Helio is the side project put together by talented Clearview winemakers Sarah & Matt Kirby and wine entrepreneur Dave Nash.
Roll over: Weingut Egon Müller is a renowned wine estate based just outside the village of Wiltingen.
The 2021er Wiltinger Braune Kupp Riesling Auslese is a sweet wine made from botrytized fruit. It offers a superb even if still slightly reduced nose
made of bergamot-infused herbs, pineapple, ginger, starfruit, white peach, pear, and a hint of apricot blossom. The wine proves beautifully filigreed
yet packed with fruity-driven flavors on the palate. It leaves a pure and ethereal feel in the absolutely stunning finish. This great Auslese has even
some upside potential as it integrates its acidity backbone in the long finish. 2031-2061 95+/100 - Jean Fisch & David Rayer, Mosel Fine Wines
Roll over: This almost always boxes above its weight and 2020 will only add to that admirable track record. Allen Meadows Burghound
The 2020 Meursault Clos de la Barre is lovely, wafting from the glass with scents of pear, orange oil, freshly baked bread and hazelnuts. Medium to full-bodied, layered and concentrated, with an ample mid-palate framed by tangy acids and chalky dry extract, it's a satiny, seamless wine that will enjoy a long life. William Kelley Robert Parker.com
Roll over: The meeting of two winemakers from the two hemispheres.
A collaboration wine between Burgundian Francois Millet and Prophet’s Rock’s Paul Pujol.
…One of the more profound Chardonnays I’ve tasted from Central Otago.
Joe Czerwinski, for The Wine Advocate
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: Aromatic and Floral - a Pinot Gris for grownups.
"A textural delight, with powerful, delicious aromas and flavours of ripe apple, Nashi pear, touches of honeysuckle. This is a truly aromatic expression of Pinot Gris and a marvelous food wine." - Prophet's Rock
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: There is a saying that once you start to fall under wine's spell, that all roads will lead you to Burgundy.
Dominique Lafon was the first Côte d'Or superstar to expand his holdings into the Mâconnais followed by Domaine Leflaive. They have breathed new life and prestige into this cooperative dominated region. Les Héritieres du Comte Lafon produces wines ranging from generic Mâcon up to four single-vineyard wines. With the same biodynamic techniques as used in his Meursault domaine, Lafon has crafted a range of delicious wines that show the regions true potential.
A more floral and less citrus-infused nose expresses a vague exoticism from the chardonnay muscaté. The tender, round and fleshy medium weight flavors possess very good energy while concluding in a bitter lemon inflected finish. This is lovely for its level and is worth considering. Burghound
