Big Bunch, Two Gates, Quarter Acre and One Off, Diversity from Rod McDonald

FEATURED WINES IN THIS REVIEW

• Big Bunch Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2015
  Chardonnay from New Zealand - Hawke's Bay

  Review Date : 24-Aug-2016

  ☆☆☆☆☆

  Bright, light golden yellow colour with light straw hues on the rim. The nose is soft and gentle with easy and up-front, accessible aromas of yellow stonefruits, revealing subtle nutty oak elements in the glass. Dry to taste and medium-bodied, the fruit flavours are light and uncomplicated, showing white and yellow stonefruits, entwined with citrus fruit elements and nuances of nutty oak. The mouthfeel is fresh with bright, lacy acidity, and the palate flows with good energy and tension along a light, grainy-textured line. The flavours recede on the finish leaving stonefruit nuances. This is a fresh, light, fruit-focussed Chardonnay with a lively mouthfeel and textured line. Serve as an aperitif, with seafood and tapas over the next 2+ years. Hawke’s Bay fruit, cool tank fermented and 15% warm barrel-fermented to 13.0% alc., the wine aged 10-12 months in oak undergoing batonnage and 25% MLF. 16.0+/20 Aug 2016 RRP $21.99
• Two Gates Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2014
  Chardonnay from New Zealand - Hawke's Bay

  Review Date : 24-Aug-2016

  ☆☆☆☆☆

  Bright, light straw-yellow colour with slight lemon-green hues, pale on the edge. This has a very fresh and tightly bound, concentrated nose with slender proportions showing intense citrussy fruit melded with creamy barrel-ferment and nutty, spicy oak layers, revealing subtle lemon-curd and toasty detail. The nose is taut and aromatic with attractive lift. Medium-bodied, the palate has a tight, taut and concentrated core and line with fresh, zesty citrus fruit flavours entwined with spicy, nutty oak. Creamy barrel-ferment textures are balanced by crisp acidity and the wine flows with vitality and energy, carrying along a fine-textured line to a lively, long and sustained finish of citrus fruits and spicy oak. This is an elegantly concentrated, taut Chardonnay with citrussy fruit and spicy oak and a brisk, refreshing mouthfeel. Serve with seafood and poultry over the next 4+ years. Fruit from the ‘Two Gates’ vineyard, Maraekakaho, hand-picked and WBP, and indigenous yeast barrel-fermented to 13.0% alc., the wine aged 9 months on lees in 45% new French oak barriques with approx. MLF. 18.0/20 Aug 2016 RRP $24.99
• Quarter Acre Hawke’s Bay Merlot/Malbec 2015
  Merlot from New Zealand - Hawke's Bay

  Review Date : 24-Aug-2016

  ☆☆☆☆☆

  Very full, dark, deep, purple-hued black-red colour with a lighter edge, youthful in appearance. The nose is full, concentrated and intensely packed with layers of ripe black plums, blackberry fruit and liquorice, along with spices and cedary oak. The aromatics are powerful and dense in expression. Medium-full bodied, the palate is fulsome with rich filling flavours of ripe blackberries, black plums, spices and liquorice and cedary oak. The fruit is framed by grainy tannins and the mouthfeel has plenty of grip and presence. The rich, sweet fruit is enlivened by underlying lacy acidity and the wine leads to a strong, textured, black-fruited finish with spice and cedar notes. This is a rich, mouthfilling, ripe, black-fruited Merlot blend with a robust structure. Match with barbecued and roasted game meat and semi-hard cheeses over the next 6-8 years. A blend of 82% Merlot. 14% Malbec and 4% Cabernet Franc from a Havelock North vineyard, the fruit hand-picked and fermented to 13.0% alc., the wine aged 15 months in 65% new French oak. 18.0+/20 Aug 2016 RRP $34.99
• One Off Hawke’s Bay Cabernet/Merlot 2014
  Blended Red from New Zealand - Hawke's Bay

  Review Date : 24-Aug-2016

  ☆☆☆☆☆

  Very full, dark, deep, purple-hued ruby-red colour, lighter on the rim and very youthful in appearance. This has an elegant and refined nose with aromas of ripe blackberries and blackcurrants, dark-red plums, unfolding notes of cassis liqueur and subtle fresh herb nuances. The aromatics are integrated and harmonious in expression and reveal spicy, pencilly oak notes. Medium-full bodied, the palate is elegantly concentrated with a tightly bound core of rpe blackcurrant and black plum fruit flavours along with subtle fresh herb and cassis notes. The fruit is vibrant with fresh acidity, and supported by fine-grained tannin structure forming a firm line. The wine carries to a long, lingering fine-textures finish of blackcurrants, blackberries and cassis. This is an elegant and refined Cabernet/Merlot blend with vibrant blackcurrant and black plum fruit and structural finesse. Serve with roasted lamb or beef over the next 6-8+ years. A blend of 51% Cabernet Sauvignon and 49% Merlot from the company’s Kereru Road and Maraekakaho fruit fermented to 13.5% alc., the wine aged 20 months in 12.5% new French oak, the remainder predominantly 1 y.o. oak. 18.5+/20 Aug 2016 RRP $31.99