The Jancis Robinson Story | Mission Blind Tasting | Wine writing competition

New Zealand assortment

Image

See Sorting through the assortments for a guide to the collections of tasting notes already published and those yet to come.

There are more than 60 seriously interesting whites and reds here from some of the more interesting producers on the North and South Islands. And the spread of grape varieties continues to widen, presenting us with a more varied diet than the old Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir. Tasting notes are presented by colour and then in descending score order.


WHITE

Two-thirds went through malo. Spontaneous ferment in barrel, not...

Fantastic fennel and lime curd flavour – really aristocratic...

Creamy, smooth, a little flinty character and good core fruit...

Barrel fermented in 16% new oak, 30% malolactic fermentation.
Cr...

86% grown on Moutere clay gravels; 14% on Waimea alluvial...

Grown in the Rapaura district of the Wairau Valley. Pressed and...

Bonfire smoke and flint on the nose – really reductive and leesy...

More green fruited than the 2011, with capsicum and herbs as...

Pale gold. Crunchy, mealy nose with masses of refreshing pure...

Unusually old for a Marlborough Sauvignon that is, according to...

Creamy, leesy nose with a lovely fresh tropical fruit character...

Just 99 cases of this were produced from very low-pH grapes. 50%...

Pungent, peashoot and gooseberry character. Fully loaded with...

Pear, apricot and sweet spice with full body and soft texture...

92% Sauvignon Blanc, 8% Semillon. Grassy and tart, with a drier...

Two Moutere blocks made only 661 cases. Mendoza clone. 100%...

Lively green fruit flavours. Crystalline. Quite tart greenness...

Really vibrant green citrus and herbs. Crisp palate with perhaps...

TA 8.4 g/l, RS 4 g/l. Very pure and crystalline. Grapefruit nose...

Winemaker and managing director Richard Riddiford has run it for...

Floral and scented. Clean and no canned asparagus.

Strong asparagus, citrus and passion fruit on the nose...

Off dry and very like Aussie Rieslings at the turn of the...

Smells a little old and asparagus soup-like. Just a bit sludgy...

RED

Co-fermented with around 4% Viognier.
Wonderfully evocative nose...

TA 4.7 g/l. Pale red. Nervy and refined – quite a thoroughbred...

Complex and interesting nose with lots of hidden depths. One of...

Up to 30% stems. Co-fermented with 2% Viognier.
Succulent and...

From a single vineyard. Crushed and destemmed. 4 days' cold...

Includes approximately 10% Touriga Nacional, and a small amount...

TA 4.7 g/l. Slightly occluded but very interesting nose. Lovely...

Very fresh and fruity nose. Very direct with the oak in retreat...

Mushy red fruit, overripe and generous. Classic New World fruit...

TA 5.6 g/l. Bright crimson. Lots of black pepper on the nose...

Just over 4k bottles produced. 18 months in French barriques...

Co-fermented with 3% Viognier.
Rather sweet oak, in a more...

Nicely developing damp earth and sweet cherry fruit on the nose...

Co-fermented with 0.5% Viognier.
Immediate and complex on the...

Lovely black pepper and redcurrant character with a toasty...

Co-fermented with 6% Viognier.
Quite closed. Rounded but fibrous...

Pure raspberry fruit, a bit of milk chocolate. Pretty high acid...

Co-fermented with 1% Viognier.
Subtle yet well defined – the...

TA 4.6 g/l. Bright mid red. A bit nervier than the Liaison with...

TA 4.6 g/l. Bright red. Tense and nervy on the nose. Lots of...

Yes indeed, a good healthy crimson colour. Very fine, echt sort...

39% Merlot, 35% Cabernet Franc, 9% Petit Verdot, 9% Cabernet...

Less pronounced and expressive than the 2013 on the nose...

Jammier fruit than the basic Syrah, in a way that slightly...

Three months oak ageing. Dark fruit, some violet and leather...

Co-fermented with 8% Viognier.
Shy nose. Rather dry and a little...

From a vineyard at the western point of the Red Metals in...

Confected black fruit and subtle oak spice. Verging on overripe...

Herbal, lifted nose with lots of sweetness and a gentle texture...

Pale, crunchy cranberry and redcurrant fruit. Sappy character...

Floral scents, relatively light and fresh. Marked acidity and...

Pale ruby. Cherry and parma violets on the nose, slightly dusty...

Pale crimson. Sweet and beetrooty nose. Racy and gamey. Austere...

A little obvious and jagged. Difficult to see much Syrah purity...

Black bramble fruit, with a rather overt clove oak flavour...

Closed fruit, pretty nondescript on the palate. Quite firm...

Like the Pinot, pretty light translucent ruby. Slightly odd ripe...

Become a member or log in to continue reading
Member
$135
/year
Save over 15% annually
Ideal for wine enthusiasts
  • Access 296,928 wine reviews & 16,142 articles
  • Access The Oxford Companion to Wine & The World Atlas of Wine
  • Access askJancis, our AI wine assistant
Inner Circle
$249
/year
 
Ideal for collectors

Everything in “Member”, plus:

  • Early access to the latest wine reviews, 48 hours in advance
  • Early access to the latest articles, 48 hours in advance
Professional
$299
/year
For individual wine professionals
  • Access 296,928 wine reviews & 16,142 articles
  • Access The Oxford Companion to Wine & The World Atlas of Wine
  • Access askJancis, our AI wine assistant
  • Early access to the latest wine reviews & articles, 48 hours in advance
  • Commercial use of up to 25 wine reviews & scores for marketing
Business
$399
/year
For companies in the wine trade

Everything in “Professional”, plus:

  • Commercial use of up to 250 wine reviews & scores for marketing
  • Access to submit wines for review
  • Offer memberships to your employees and manage them from a single place
  • API access available for an additional fee
Pay with
Visa logo Mastercard logo American Express logo Logo for more payment options
Join our newsletter

Get the latest from Jancis and her team of leading wine experts.

By subscribing you agree with our Privacy Policy and provide consent to receive updates from our company.

More Tasting articles

Sadie Family winery exterior
Tasting articles A revealing vertical that traces the evolution of South Africa’s most sought-after white. The wines were shown by UK importer...
Léoville Barton - line-up of wines for vertical tasting
Tasting articles A quarter-century of wines from a legendary Bordeaux estate. See also this guide to our bordeaux verticals . Although Château...
Harvest at Robert Weil by Peter Quirin.jpg
Tasting articles A year of extraordinary balance, bright acidity and some of the best Gutsweine in recent memory. Plus a whole lot...
Monty on the beach at Betty’s Bay, near Hemel-en Aarde
Tasting articles Coolness and light in bottles from some of South Africa’s best producers. Above, Monty enjoys the cool surf in Betty’s...

More from JancisRobinson.com

Person in Domaine Sérol's vineyards in the Côte Roannaise (credit Le Bon Cliché)
Wines of the week Thirst-slaking freshness in a red from Central France. From £15.50, $26.95. For a variety so maligned for much of the...
CWL Wines of Brazil over map
Book reviews Three additions to the Classic Wine Library plus a self-published guide to Portuguese wine. Three of the reviews below are...
Sam Neill
Free for all Jancis remembers the most charming wine producer she has ever met. Above, Neill in his Two Paddocks vineyard. The worlds...
A glass of Sauvignon Blanc at an airport bar
Free for all After a first round of judging, we’re delighted to begin publishing the best of this year’s writing competition entries. All...
Boscastle harbour
Free for all Extraordinary seafood and the magic of a good pairing at The Rocket Store. Boscastle harbour is pictured above. The restaurant...
Ch Langoa Barton chai in May 2025
Free for all How is the work of the ISVV transmitted to the châteaux? And how has it affected the wines? Plus, highlights...
Wanton at XO Kitchen
Bite-sized Umami junkies, head east for jaw-achingly tasty fusion and a Honshu sour. Having garnered itself quite a reputation for clever...
chickens in the HJW vineyard at Hermann J Wiemer, Seneca Lake
Wines of the week The dry white wine that established New York’s Finger Lakes as the Riesling mecca of the US. And it’s only...
Wine inspiration delivered directly to your inbox, weekly
Our weekly newsletter is free for all
By subscribing you're confirming that you agree with our Terms and Conditions.