Lots of high quality, very expensive wineries here in Auckland harbour just 40 mins by ferry from downtown (I don’t think there’s any Island wine for less than about $40); but this is my first time visiting cellar doors by bus and on foot! At least half a dozen wineries are within 5 minutes walk of some bus route or another, although plenty of others are way off the beaten track. Might be one of the wine world’s few regions where the appellation name seems a genuine guarantee of at least ‘very good’ quality. As a wine destination, unhesitatingly recommended, despite the prices! Also, not all wineries are open every day; Fri – Sun seem safest.
Stonyridge Vineyard
Tasting menu – three cheapies for $20 or 3 premiums for $35. Good news is it’s refundable on purchase. Stemmed glasses, thin rims. Pours are 30ml. Food, drink, seating, music at the site. Surprisingly (to me) commercial in outlook, given its standard-bearer/elder status on Waiheke. The full range of wines available to buy/drink (bottle or glass) on site.
- 2021 Stonyridge Vineyard Pilgrim - New Zealand, North Island, Auckland, Waiheke Island
{screwcap, NZ$120} Youthful plum and cinnamon. Cloves, plums spice on the palate. Soft furry oak. Medium/high acidity, medium dusty tannin. Medium weight overall. 88% shiraz, with mouvedre/grenache/viognier pitching in 8/3/1, and I can tell you that the 1% viognier is quite apparent. - 2022 Stonyridge Vineyard Airfield - New Zealand, North Island, Auckland, Waiheke Island
{cork, 13.5%, NZ$89} Vivid purple colour. Black cherry, plum, liquorice along with a little spice. Generous palate, quite drinkable now. Merlot/malbec/franc/PV/ in the curious ratio 45/19/19/17 might explain that. Hint of vanilla too, and the oak isn’t obvious. Still, with medium acid, low/medium powdery tannins and medium weight, it’s still got potential to age in the shorter term. Even palate, and medium length finish. Not really a little brother to Larose, since it’s a very difference combination of grapes. - 2020 Stonyridge Vineyard Larose - New Zealand, North Island, Auckland, Waiheke Island
{cork, NZ$375} Doing its best to pass for nineteenth century Bdx, with six grapes in the mix. The blending sessions must have been fun to get mouvedre and carmemere in there! CabS/merlot/PV/franc/mouvedre/carmenere in the ratio 51/24/14/7/3.5/1.5. Purple colour. Vivid blackberry and cassis. Lavender too! Slightly gluey oak. Primary on the palate, with medium/high powdery tannins, medium/high acidity too. Fine-grained tannins tend to dominate gently ripe fruit at the moment, but with an even palate and medium/long drying finish this needs plenty of time. - 2020 Stonyridge Vineyard Syrah Faithful Stonyridge Vineyard - New Zealand, North Island, Auckland, Waiheke Island
{screwcap, 14.3%, NZ$75} I decided to buy a bottle of this on the strength of the ‘Pilgrim’ syrah blend, so the CD girl offered me a ‘free’ taste anyway. Similar style, with juicy, spicy shiraz, laced with vibrant red fruit, medium tannin, medium acid. Lacks the exotic viognier note, (along with a certain flamboyance) and I think it’s the better for it. Medium length finish. Fairly gentle, elegant sort of wine. Tidy stuff.
Entirely new to me. Property owned by the Dunleavy family since founding in the early 90s. They offer a set 4-wine tasting for $25 (not-refundable), with the option to add two older vintages (2009 & 2004 today) of the eponymous flagship Te Motu red for another $30. Stemmed, thin-rimmed glasses, 30ml pours. Sit down tasting with some commentary from the friendly staff.
- 2020 Te Motu Merlot The Shed Dunleavy - New Zealand, North Island, Auckland, Waiheke Island
{screwcap, NZ$38} All merlot. Has around 2% of residual sugar left but that adds body rather than detectable sweetness. Pale onion-skin. Smells and tastes of apricot and peach. Dry and crunchy, with grape-skin tannin. Light body, medium acid. Some mid-palate presence, short medium finish. Uncompetitive for price; better with the 3-for-$80 offer at CD, but still marginal value. - 2018 Te Motu The Strip - New Zealand, North Island, Auckland, Waiheke Island
{screwcap, NZ$49} Plum and gluey oak. Some development with hints of compost and rotting fruit flavour. Easy-drinking palate with medium acid, low/medium powdery tannins, good balance on tongue, light/medium weight and short/medium finish. Ready to drink. - 2017 Te Motu Kokoro - New Zealand, North Island, Auckland, Waiheke Island
{screwcap, NZ$95} Soft plums, strawberries, roses. Vanilla oak too. Fragrant nose, but somewhat drying out and astringent on the palate, with powdery oak tannins just contributing to the effect. The fruit does fade a bit, despite the medium weight overall. Medium acid, even palate, but short/medium finish. Certainly drink now, and quite poorly-priced for what it is. - 2016 Te Motu - New Zealand, North Island, Auckland, Waiheke Island
{cork, NZ$155} Sweet blackcurrant fruit and cedary French oak. Maturing now. Even, medium weight palate, with low/medium dusty tannins and subtle classy oak. Polished, elegant flavours and presence. Medium/long, subtle finish. I wasn’t quite tempted enough to splash the extra money for the older wines given how soft this was already. Not that it wouldn’t age, but it might not evolve.
Entirely new to me, but not others: it’s NZ’s most popular wedding venue, courtesy of a great hillside view back to Auckland far across the bay; with food, accommodation; the whole tourist+marital experience. They only make about 5000 cases a year, all sold locally. Winery is at capacity, all vineyard land utilised, and it’s too costly to buy more! Stand-up bar style tasting, useful commentary supplied by amiable staff. Big, thin-rimmed, stemmed-glasses with 30ml pours. 3 rather odd tasting flights available: 4 ‘Light’ wines (2 whites+rose+light syrah) for $22, a peculiar 3-wine Cellar Tasting for $25 comprising a fizz, a $60 Pinot Gris reserve and a $195 ‘port’, and then the fairly steep $45, 3-pair tasting below. Not refundable.
- 2021 Mudbrick Chardonnay Reserve - New Zealand, North Island, Auckland, Waiheke Island
{screwcap, 13.5%, NZ$59} 40% new french oak for 9 months. Peach, grapefruit and vanilla bean. Medium acidity and weight. Fine cut fruit on the palate, subtle oak. Even finish, medium length dry. Classy sort of stuff. I actually preferred this to the more worked and oaky Francesca bottling at twice the price, at least for medium term drinking. - 2022 Mudbrick Chardonnay Francesca - New Zealand, North Island, Auckland, Waiheke Island
{cork, NZ$120} 50% new oak for 9 months. Mostly a barrel selection rather than in the vineyard. Big oaky nose, with barrel-ferment characters. A resin/sulphur note to it – matchstick. Palate of ripe yellow fruit and nuts more convincing than nose. Sits a bit on the tip of the tongue for me. Rich malo influences. Full-throttle style which may come around with time. I’m not really sure that more is more in this case. - 2020 Mudbrick Syrah Reserve - New Zealand, North Island, Auckland, Waiheke Island
{screwcap 14.5%, NZ$75} This is tidily impressive new world syrah in a non-Australian style! Vivid floral notes, perfume, spice, roses, vanilla. Medium bodied, with medium acidity and low/medium chalky tannins. Nicely spicy and elegant finish, medium/long. Nice wine. - 2022 Mudbrick Syrah Oscar - New Zealand, North Island, Auckland, Waiheke Island
{cork, 14.75%, NZ$120} Similar to the reserve wine overall, with violets, roses and lifted vanilla oak. More intensity; power without weight. Fresh medium acidity, medium strength fine powdery tannins. Medium/full weight and an even palate presence herald a medium/long finish. Impressive. - 2020 Mudbrick Reserve Merlot Petit Verdot Cabernet Sauvignon Malbec - New Zealand, North Island, Auckland, Waiheke Island
{screwcap, 14.5%, NZ$75} Plum aromas, mixed with cassis. Dark chocolate, spice too.Something to do with the 25% PV in this, maybe? Still quite young per the flavour profile, but the acid, tannin and weight all tick the ‘medium’ box. Open on the palate, drinking beautifully now, but with potential still. Even palate, medium/long finish. Very good. - 2021 Mudbrick Velvet - New Zealand, North Island, Auckland, Waiheke Island
{cork, 14.5%, NZ$150} The flagship blend of CabS, Merlot, Malbec, PV in the ratio 53/33/8/6. 340 cases made. Polished black fruit and soft cedar. Fruit is subdued on the palate, with tight dusty medium tannins and medium acidity. Medium/full weight, medium long finish. Very good, but clearly needs time to blossom properly. Will be great in a decade.
- 2020 Goldie Estate Chardonnay Causeway - New Zealand, North Island, Auckland, Waiheke Island
{screwcap} $15 by the glass with very late café lunch on Waiheke. From the oldest winery on the island. Lots of oak, coconut, figs and nuts. Ripe melon fruit on the palate, with a hint of grapefruit, but dominated by malo characters and oak. Medium-full weight, medium length finish. Was served around 18C; 4-5 degrees makes all the difference.