Red wine

Pinot noir

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  Black Estate Pinot Noir 2009 12/08/11 NZD $34.95
  Bob Campbell scored the 2009 a 95/100 in the Gourmet Traveller Magazine, and Gold at the prestigous Decanter World Wine Awards. Bob writes "A taut and elegant Pinot Noir with dark cherry, mineral, licorice and wild herb flavours. It seems tighter and more focused than the previous vintages with a seamless and lingering finish. Classy wine that gives a strong sense of place."
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  Walnut Block Collectables Pinot Noir 2009 07/21/11 NZD $19.95
  Walnut Block Wines is a Wairau Valley boutique winery producing very high quality wines. The name is taken from the landmark walnut tree which was planted in 1898, located within the vineyard itself. By hand picking the fruit there is a more stable range of flavour compounds which allow the wine to age gracefully.
  
  Mouth-filling and youthful with ripe cherry, spice and nut flavours showing excellent complexity, texture and length. Cellar for another 4 years but is perfect for drinking now.
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  Kairos 'Fait Main' (By Hand) Martinborough Pinot Noir 2009 02/12/11 NZD $49.99
  From Master of Wine, Steve Bennett MW, this new release is one of the finest, most Burgundian Pinots ever made in New Zealand. Low yielding fruit from a single vineyard in Martinborough was hand harvested, then hand-plunged in open concrete fermenters. Total skin contact was a full month, typical in making the great wines of Burgundy but unusual in New Zealand. This practice sacrifices colour and primary fruit in favour of complexity, savouriness, finer tannins and more longevity.
  Hand basked-pressed, then matured for 18 months in older French oak barriques, this is a Pinot to meditate over, delivering new layers of complex flavour with every sniff, including dried cherry, raspberry, truffle, dark chocolate and wild roses. The dense mid-palate is balanced by fine acidity and rich tannins. Outstanding.
  Buy 'Passion and Patience - A Wine Story' on DVD to see how a hand-crafted wine like this is is made.
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  Peregrine Pinot Noir 2010 01/27/11 NZD $36.95
  The 2009 was awarded three trophies at the 2010 Air NZ Wine Awards - Champion Pinot Noir trophy, Open Red Wine Trophy & Trophy for Champion Wine of the Show. The 2010 is looking very good on release.
  
  An expressive nose that has mocha, cherry and raspberries. The palate has wonderful flavours of spice, dark cherries, raspberries, and mouth caressing silky fine grain tannins.
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  Terravin Marlborough Pinot Noir 2009 05/19/10 NZD $36.95
  This rivals the best of Central Otago for the price. Aged for 11 months in French oak this is rich, velvety and powerful. Ripe, black cherry flavours with a savoury background that is drinking now but will reward cellaring for 3-5 years.
  
  I tried a glass of this and left the rest in the bottle. Three days later it was just magic. Still going! Silky smooth and an array of flavours that just went on and on. Outstanding value.
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  Terravin Hillside Reserve Pinot Noir 2006 05/12/10 NZD $59.99
  You'll be surprised to hear, especially after actually tasting this Pinot Noir, that it is from Marlborough. I have been a long-time supporter of owner and winemaker Mike Eaton from Terravin and have always said this man's wines will be some of the most sought after from New Zealand. You hear wineries say their focus is on quality, to the point it's a bit of a cliché, but Mike must be the only winemaker in New Zealand not to produce a wine every vintage. Why? Followers of Terravin are now used to having only the best, highest quality wines available from New Zealand and are getting used to the fact that the next vintage will be better than the last - if that's possible. The whole Terravin range is fantastic, with the Reserve Hillside Pinot being an absolute stand-out.
  
  Bob Campbell 97/100 Gourmet Traveller. "The merits of selecting the best fruit from a hillside vineyard are obvious in this intense, complex wine. The layers of dark fruit, spice and oak flavours and silken texture in combination are particularly seductive".
  
  Robert Parker 93/100. "Ripe, sweet lifted nose of plum, wild strawberry and violets. The palate is full-bodied with pure ripe plum and raspberry fruit, very well balanced and elegant Supple and rounded towards the finish that lingers in the mouth. A little gem". This is great drinking now but will cellar to 2013 - 2015. Amazing buying.
  Buy 'Passion and Patience - A Wine Story' on DVD to see how a hand-crafted wine like this is is made.
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• Wooing Tree Pinot Noir 2009 03/27/09 NZD $39.95

  Gold at Air NZ Wine Awards

  This is a classic Central Otago Pinot from one of the region's emerging stars. Ageing for 11 months in oak has added depth and softness. Very approachable now but one to cellar with confidence for 4-5 years.

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  Breaksea Sound Central Otago Pinot Noir 2009 02/24/09 NZD $19.95

  This is truly worth $30+. Cherrycake and spice aromatics, solid, chunky berry flavours and a ripe, round mouthfeel. This vintage has finesse and structure and has to be the best value Otago pinot on the market.
  
  This wine has amazed everyone who tries it for its quality and value. Sourced from a single vineyard with grape yields less than half most pinot noirs, which makes a lot less wine but which gives added concentration. If you are a Central Otago pinot noir fan you must try this if you haven't already. Drinking well now and over the next couple of years.

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Cabernet

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  Clearview Old Olive Block Cabernet Merlot Malbec 2010 02/16/11 NZD $39.95
  A classic Bordeaux style made from 48% Cabernet Sauvignon, 26% Cabernet Franc, 14% Merlot and 12% Malbec. This has a wonderful nose and the palate is generous, warm and spicy with complex flavours of cassis and plum. Savoury cedar oak and long soft tannins finish this wine beautifully. Age from 3 to 12 years, earlier for a more fruit driven style.
  
  The grapes were all hand picked from a mixture of our estate 20 year old vines and some fruit from Gimblett Road. The fruit was crushed and de-stemmed in 2000 litre tanks, cold macerated for 3 days and fermented with a mixture of wild and inoculated yeasts. Temperatures reached 32ºC with a 4 hourly hand plunging and daily rack and returns. The wine then spent 28 days undergoing extended maceration. The individual components were fermented separately and then blended at 12 months, undergoing 6 months ageing as a single parcel.
  Buy 'Passion and Patience - A Wine Story' on DVD to see how a hand-crafted wine like this is is made.
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  Clearview Basket Press Cabernet Merlot 2007 02/16/11 NZD $149.00
  Basket Press is made only in exceptional vintages and only from the best parcel of grapes from Clearview's Coastal Hawkes Bay Vineyards. Grapes are hand picked, basket pressed* and aged in the finest new french oak for 12 months. The results, as you would expect are stunning.
  
  The wine is a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc and 3% Malbec. All fruit was hand picked and fermented individually with 3 hourly hand plunging. The individual parcels were blended after 18 months in oak barrel. The wine was subsequently aged a further 12 months in new French Oak barriques. Due to the limited volume of quality fruit needed for this wine, less than 50 dozen bottles were produced.
  
  The nose is extremely powerful and concentrated, with intense dark berry, cassis and plum at the core, with nuances of mint, earth and game supporting. On palate, the richness and ripeness of the fruit is manifest in sweetness, but kept in check by layers of leather and tar complexities and a mass of spicy oak. The tannins are very fine-grained, somewhat overwhelmed by the opulence. Yet this has the structure and density to age 15-20 years without hesitation. Less than 50 dozen were made.
  
  *NOTE: A basket press consists of a large basket that is filled with the crushed grapes. Pressure is applied through a plate that is forced down onto the fruit. The mechanism to lower the plate is often either a screw or a hydraulic device. The juice flows through openings in the basket. The basket style press was the first type of mechanized press to be developed, and its basic design has not changed in nearly 1000 years.
  Buy 'Passion and Patience - A Wine Story' on DVD to see how a hand-crafted wine like this is is made.
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  Beresford McLaren Vale Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 01/26/11 NZD $24.95
  From the very highly regarded 2007 vintage this wine shows classic Cabernet mint and cassis on the nose with evident, cedary oak. Densely textured and with outstanding structure there is masses of flavour on the palate which shows concentrated flavours of blackcurrant, blackberry and spicy oak and a rich powerful finish. Top class warm climate Cabernet!
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  La Puerta Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 01/26/11 NZD $17.95
  Big and earthy! Another inky number from the ancient soils around the foothills of the Andes of Argentina. Full of funky smoke, cedar and dust on the nose, with an under-current of black fruits, damson, violets and cherry. Big on flavour with black fruit flavours gripping the tastebuds and as it slides like a snake down the back of the palate.
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Merlot

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  Turanga Creek Merlot - Cab Franc 'Down To Earth' 2009 07/28/11 NZD $17.95
  A very clean, refreshing and fruit driven bordeaux blend from organically grown vineyards in Whitford. Down To Earth is the result of Turanga Creek's desire to offer enjoyable crafted wines using organic practices.
  
  The nose displays fragrant notes of small red berries, cassis and vanilla. This charming wine reveals a juicy and rounded palate supported by a beautiful freshness.
  Very good value.
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  Corazon Hawkes Bay Merlot 2010 05/27/11 NZD $24.95
  2010 was a great vintage around the country. This Merlot was harvested from a low cropping, free draining vineyard which influences the concentrated flavours of this wine. Hand-crafted using traditional European winemaking techniques then matured in quality oak.
  
  Rich and ripe this wine displays a wonderful aroma of cassis, cedar and spice. Concentrated berry fruits and soft lingering tannins fill the palate.
  Buy 'Passion and Patience - A Wine Story' on DVD to see how a hand-crafted wine like this is is made.
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  Clearview Merlot Malbec 2009 02/16/11 NZD $21.95
  An early-drinking Bordeaux-style red from Tim Turvey at Te Awanga, this is 76% Merlot, 18% Malbec and 6% Cabernet Franc fermented to 13.5% alc and aged 15 months in new and 1 y.o. French and American oak casks. A lively, fruit-driven, medium bodied wine, it has warm blackberry, plum and leathery spice flavours that will suit pasta, lamb, beef and venison. Enjoy over the next 3-4 years.
  Buy 'Passion and Patience - A Wine Story' on DVD to see how a hand-crafted wine like this is is made.
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• La Viarte Merlot 2004 04/15/09 NZD $39.95

  Stunning Merlot from North-East Italy

  La Viarte's vineyards are only a few hundred metres form the Slovenian border and are planted in an array of grape varieties. This merlot was quite a revelation and again the description of "fusion of old and new worlds" seems quite apt. Intense, full bodied, yet with a seductive elegance that is pure Italian. This is magical wine.
  Buy 'Passion and Patience - A Wine Story' on DVD to see how a hand-crafted wine like this is is made.

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Shiraz/Syrah

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  Beresford Beacon Hill Shiraz 2010 12/04/11 NZD $14.95
  The best yet under this great value label. Full-flavoured, vibrant Shiraz with tremendous concentration, richness and ripeness for a wine of this price this full-flavoured, vibrant Shiraz that represents great value. Plum and berry fruit mix with spice on the nose and follow through the palate, which is firm and flavoursome. Soft on the finish this is one to roll down on any occasion.
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  Chocolate Box Barossa Shiraz 2008 11/03/11 NZD $19.95
  Amazing value! Was $24.95 but this beats many Aussie reds over $30.
  This is just yummy and way too easy to drink. Plummy, rich and ripe, with a creamy mouthfeel and dense, chocolaty flavours, this is a hefty mouthful of Barossa Shiraz at a truly great price.
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  Jip Jip Rocks Shiraz 2009 07/27/11 NZD $17.95
  Was $21.95. From a family owned vineyard located in the Padthaway Valley, 300 km south of Adelaide.
  
  On the nose, this wine boasts bold notes of mulberry, blackberry and spice, complemented by hints of chocolate, cedar and cinnamon. The medium bodied palate offers balanced acidity, fine tannins, and generous flavors of plum, blackberry, mocha and clove. Enjoy now to 2016.
  
  Awarded Blue Gold – Sydney International Wine Competition 2011 and Gold at the San Francisco International Wine Competition 2010.
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  Beresford McLaren Vale Shiraz 2007 01/26/11 NZD $24.95
  A deep dark red with touches of purple. Lifted aromas of pepper, spice, dark berries, tar and anise. The palate is packed with juicy fruits, luscious dark berries with intriguing spice, clove, cigarbox, green and black pepper and well balanced oak. Yummy shiraz, well-made and finely balanced.
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  Trentham Lantana Shiraz Cabernet 2008 01/26/11 NZD $13.95
  This label has been consistently good value over the years but this 2008 vintage is the best to date by some margin. Nice deep colour, the palate is smoothly textured and richly flavoured with plenty of plum and blackcurrant fruit flavours, a nice touch of spice and just enough grip on the finish. Juicy, well balanced and excellent value.
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  Willows Barossa Shiraz 2008 - New Vintage 01/13/10 NZD $33.95 $29.95
  If you think Grant Burge, Elderton, Penfolds or the like are one of the best when it comes to your favourite Barossa Shiraz, then this wine is certainly for you. White chocolate, blackberries, cassis, peppery, full-bodied, dense, fruit forward and beautifully complex.
  I've had many people say this is their pick for red wine of the year. Dozens and dozens of this were sold with many taking two or three cases. Drinking very well now but make sure you decant this for a good hour to make the flavours really open up. One of the best you'll see from the Barossa.
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  Corazon Hawkes Bay Syrah 2008 01/12/10 NZD $21.95
  One of only 8 Syrahs to get a Gold Medal at the recent Royal Easter Show Wine Awards. All of the others are $35+ including some of the big names like Saint Clair and the Trinity Hill Homage at $120 a bottle. Even before this great result for this wine, made by West Auckland winemaker Shayne Cox, it had already gathered a strong following here at La Cantina.
  
  Syrah is Shayne's favourite wine to make, and his efforts really show in this wine with an amazing array of flavours going on. Very fruit driven, rich and powerful with dark berry fruits, spice and leather with a long and very memorable finish. This is a steal at $21.95.
  Syrah loves air - decant before drinking to allow the flavours to open up.
  Buy 'Passion and Patience - A Wine Story' on DVD to see how a hand-crafted wine like this is is made.
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Rose & Other Red

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  Clearview Sea Red Dessert Wine 2010 12/06/11 NZD $33.95
  The classic Clearview meal finisher. A fortified red dessert wine made from Merlot with flavours of cassis and plum. Sweet on the front palate but finishes dry. Great with rich chocolate desserts or fruit cake.
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  Arahura Malbec 2004 07/27/11 NZD $22.95
  Former judge Ken Mason and his wife Diane, owners of Arahura Vineyard, were winemaking pioneers in the hills of the Clevedon district, south of Auckland. They planted their first vines in 1991 and their Malbec is well regarded. Malbec from Clevedon you say? Sounds strange but the wine is stunning. Michael Cooper describes it as “rich, vibrant and supple”.
  
  The 2004 vintage has to be one of their best. I've grabbed their last few dozen which has been cellared to perfection and is drinking well right now. I'm amazed a wine of this age and quality is still available. A big, rich and ripe wine with complex black olive flavours that linger on the palate.
  
  You could easily pay twice as much or more from one of the more well know brands for a wine of this quality. That's what I like about the smaller wineries. They can be so much more interesting and you don't have to pay the earth.
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  Santa Ema Reserve Carmenere 2008 05/11/11 NZD $19.95
  A great introduction to Chilean Carmenere! Rich aromas of ripe black cherries, herbs, black pepper and chocolate. The palate is well-rounded, full-bodied and concentration with slightly grippy tannins and the classic dried herb and fruit finish.
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  Pirineos Rosé 2010 11/30/10 NZD $21.95
  This is what I and many others think is 'The Perfect Rose'. It reminds me of cool satin sheets on a sunny Sunday morning. Creamy strawberry flavours, slightly pink with aromas of summer blossoms. A silky but full, well structured taste with waves of refreshing summer berry fruit flavours. An exceptionally long finish for a rosé, more reminiscent of a quality red wine.
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  Kerr Farm Bella Rosa 2010 11/03/10 NZD $19.95
  Made from Kerr Farm's famous Pinotage grapes, the juice for the Bella Rosa ('beautiful pink') was allowed to spend a few hours in contact with the skins before the it was pressed off for fermentation. This enabled the juice to pick up a delicate rose petal pink colour. A lovely bouquet of rose petals, watermelon and strawberries and cream, and a hint of mandarin on the finish with just a touch of sweetness.
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  Trentham Petit Verdot 2008 06/03/10 NZD $19.95
  Silver medal NZ International Wine Show 2009 and Silver medal NZ Top 100 2009.
  This, a favourite for many of you has returned and the 2008 marks the fifth release of this wine. It has deep red purple colour with floral and berry aromas. These characters along with mocha and spice are present on the palate which is completed with supportive oak and a velvety tannin finish.
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  Kerr Farm P07 Kumeu Pinotage 2007 - New Vintage 06/03/10 NZD $19.95
  This has been one of my favourites for a very long time. Very interesting flavours going on with this wine which is made from grapes from officially New Zealands oldest Pinotage vines, which are over 40 years old, influencing much of the complex flavours.
  
  Bright in its ruby crimson colour, attractively scented, floral with hints of lavender and berry. Creamy oak fills the palate which is ripe, juicy and velvety textured with fruit intensity and oak complexity to the backbone. Well integrated acidity and a touch of Pinotage's signature rusticity to the finish together with a spicy flourish makes this a very good and utterly enjoyable red wine. Even better the next day. A real gem.
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  Corazon Rose 2011 - New Vintage 01/13/10 NZD $17.95

  Summer in a bottle

  Charming coral pink in colour, packed with fresh summer red fruits such as raspberry and cranberry with subtle spice notes. Refreshing and fruit focused with a crisp lingering finish. One of our most popular wines, food friendly and perfect for summer fun.
  Buy 'Passion and Patience - A Wine Story' on DVD to see how a hand-crafted wine like this is is made.
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