Waipara Springs Pinot Noir 2009
(Waipara, New Zealand)

Think mint and black fruit and you can imagine the aromas wafting from a glass of this Pinot Noir. There is none of the over-sweet fruit you find in many New World Pinots, and that’s why it makes a refreshing change. A restrained style with balance and harmony. Ripe tannins and a sense of structure.

(Silver at the International Wine Challenge)

Winery Profile
Watch out for Waipara. Just an hour’s drive north of leafy Christchurch, vineyards dot the side of the road. The region is dwarfed by Marlborough but its wines stand out for being much more elegant and food friendly. New Zealand’s leading wine writer, Bob Campbell MW, claims ‘stunning Waipara is one of the unsung heroes’ of the New Zealand wine scene. The first Waipara Springs vines were originally planted back in 1982, making it one of the longest established estates in the region. With a young, handsome winemaker, Frank Manifold, at the helm, Waipara Springs offers consistently high standards and good value for money. The team are ably assisted by Jonty, a 13-year Red Kelpie, who featured in one of the best-selling wine books ever, Wine Dogs. Now he’s getting on a bit, he can mainly be found by the fire or warming himself in the sun.

Esk Valley Syrah 2007
(Hawke's Bay, New Zealand)

A Silver medal winner at both the International Wine Challenge and the Decanter World of Wine awards. Juicy red fruits are spiced up by a sprinkle of white pepper and a dash of savoury leather. Medium bodied with soft fine-grained tannins. Excellent value for money.

Matakana Estate Merlot/Cabernet Franc 2007
(Matakana, New Zealand)

Lots going on here: lifted black fruit aromas, chocolate, cedar and even a whiff of farmyard. This is a Kiwi version of St-Emilion but offers more intensity than you’ll find from the Bordeaux appellation at this price. Both satisfying and mouth-filling with a lick of vanilla on the finish.

Winery Profile
Luka Lunjevich sailed from Croatia to New Zealand in 1902, for a better life and the goal of planting his own vineyard. His voyage nearly ended in tragedy when the 2,585-ton steel steamer hit the rocks in heavy fog, and sank close to New Zealand’s North Cape. There weren’t enough lifeboats and many, including Luka, had to swim for their lives. Having survived this treacherous journey to his new homeland, Luka planted his vineyard in Kaitaia and became one of the pioneer winemakers in New Zealand in the early 1900s.

The passion for wine has been passed through the generations: in 1996, Luka’s grandaughter established Matakana Estate, a boutique winery 70km north of Auckland in Matakana. Luka’s great grandsons now run the estate in beautiful Matakana, which is a hub of food and wine and a renowned getaway for Aucklanders.

Te Tera Pinot Noir 2008 (Martinborough, New Zealand)

Soft red cherry fruit combines with dried herbs and a savoury, almost meaty note, making for a complex nose. Ripe and mouthfilling with plenty of concentration. Dense tannins and a touch of mocha oak on the finish.

Craggy Range Te Kahu Cabernet/Merlot 2007
(New Zealand)

Deep dark and brooding, with complex aromas of fruit, blackberry, blueberry, dried herbs & plum. Equally complex and interesting on the palate – especially when decanted. Drinking now but will cellar until 2020.

"Craggy Range's Rod Easthope has crafted this fine Cabernet/Merlot Bordeaux style blend from New Zealand to produce a beguiling red in which the flavours of black fruit mingle with cedary oak" - Anthony Rose

Winery Profile
Craggy Range is one of those producers where it’s hard to find fault with any of their wines. They own vineyards throughout New Zealand and while they’re a pretty big outfit, there are no compromises made on quality and the wines reflect the place where they are grown. – this sense of place is known as terroir. In the the renowned Gimblett Gravels in Hawke’s Bay, warm climate varieties Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah are grown. It sits on the the same latitude as Madrid so the grapes are able to ripen properly. Heading south, Craggy Range also grows grapes in Martinborough, Marlborough, Nelson, the undiscovered Waitaki Valley and cool Central Otago.

Elephant Hill Syrah 2008
(Hawke's Bay, New Zealand)

* Exclusive to Taurus Wines *

New Zealand’s answer to Crozes-Hermitage, this is full of black cherries, dried fruit and herbs. Sensitive oak-maturation gives a lovely smokiness on the finish. A lively Syrah with grainy tannins and a fresh finish.
(Silver medal winner at the International Wine Challenge).

Our first shipment should be arriving mid September 2010.

Winery Profile
There’s something of the Old World in the wines of Elephant Hill. Forget the exuberant gooseberry, asparagus and passionfruit-filled wines of Marlborough, Elephant Hill is all about subtlety and elegance. The winery is owned by German couple Reyden and Roger Weiss, which might explain the wine style. The pair fell in love with this coastal site and planted the vineyard in 2003. The traditionalist view is that young vines don’t produce great wines but that’s not true here says the company’s managing director Gunter Thies, who was director of the Rheingau Winegrowers Association for six years before moving to New Zealand. “In Germany, three year old vines don’t make very good wine but here they develop much faster than in Europe. Growing grapes is a completely different story here,” he says.

While most of Hawke’s Bay is too warm to successfully produce Sauvignon Blanc, Elephant Hill is quite literally within spitting distance of the Ocean. The cool sea breezes allow the grapes to mature more slowly, maintaining a zesty acidity, delicious aromas and keeping alcohol levels down. Hotter inland areas in Hawke’s Bay are better suited to red varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah but at Elephant Hill’s cooler vineyards, these varieties would struggle to ripen.

It’s quite an international team here. The vineyard is managed by an American girl, Brittany Thompson who originally came to Hawke’s Bay from the Napa Valley for six months, fell in love with New Zealand (and a New Zealander!) and is now a permanent fixture at Elephant Hill. The winemaking is in the hands of Kiwi Steve Skinner who has worked many vintages in Hawke’s Bay as well as France, Canada, California.

Passage Rock Syrah 2008
(Waiheke Island, New Zealand)

* Exclusive to Taurus Wines *

A dense mouthful packed with blackberries, red cherries, Parma violets, white pepper and chocolate. Chunky ripe tannins and plump pure fruit in the mouth. It’s a stunner and keeps winning accolade after accolade.

5 stars, Michael Cooper’s buyer’s guide to New Zealand Wines.

Winery Profile
If you like wood-fired pizza and Syrah (who doesn’t?), then Passage Rock is for you. The winery sits on idyllic Waiheke Island, a 30-minute boat ride from Auckland’s CBD. The laid-back owner and winemaker, David Evans, and his Swiss wife returned to New Zealand in the early 1990s and initially thought they were going to focus on Merlot - perhaps that was something to do with drinking trends at the time or the fact they’d just visited Chateau Pétrus.

David is focused on Syrah today but does make a dense Merlot as well as several Bordeaux blends. After tasting the wines, the Syrahs are the star of the Passage Rock show with attractive violets, blackberries and cherries on the ’08, a fleshy palate and chunky ripe tannins. It represents good value for money compared to some of the other producers on the island. The world’s wine judges think it’s pretty smart too. The 2008 Passage Rock Syrah has been awarded 5 stars by both Wine State Magazine (Australia’s biggest wine magazine) and by Michael Cooper (the NZ wine guru).

Passage Rock Reserva Syrah 2008
(Waiheke Island, New Zealand)

* Exclusive to Taurus Wines *

Winner of three trophies at this years International Wine Challenge. A real feat as a total of only 111 trophies were awarded and 16,000 wines were entered.

Cups include:
Best Waiheke Island Syrah
Best New Zealand Syrah
Best New Zealand Red

Judges said: Very dense, ripe brooding meaty, light fruits. The palate is bold with menthol and spice and medicine notes. Distinctive.

Available from mid September 2010.

Winery Profile
If you like wood-fired pizza and Syrah (who doesn’t?), then Passage Rock is for you. The winery sits on idyllic Waiheke Island, a 30-minute boat ride from Auckland’s CBD. The laid-back owner and winemaker, David Evans, and his Swiss wife returned to New Zealand in the early 1990s and initially thought they were going to focus on Merlot - perhaps that was something to do with drinking trends at the time or the fact they’d just visited Chateau Pétrus.

David is focused on Syrah today but does make a dense Merlot as well as several Bordeaux blends. After tasting the wines, the Syrahs are the star of the Passage Rock show with attractive violets, blackberries and cherries on the ’08, a fleshy palate and chunky ripe tannins. It represents good value for money compared to some of the other producers on the island. The world’s wine judges think it’s pretty smart too. The 2008 Passage Rock Syrah has been awarded 5 stars by both Wine State Magazine (Australia’s biggest wine magazine) and by Michael Cooper (the NZ wine guru).