Moreover, I’d only popped a couple of bottles of white into the car as they seemed a better option for the hot days on the road, hitting the refreshment factor very nicely at the end of the day. Hopefully, this collection of aromatic whites ticks that refreshment box for you all.
Pegasus Bay Vergence White Mk3
Rating Excellent
Pea pod scents, hints
of peach and
stonefruit, lovely
fragrance. Honeyed
fruit sweetness leads,
herb nuances,
richness and
viscosity that
caresses the palate.
Incredibly moreish,
undoubtedly complex,
adding capsicum and
spice. The acidity
strides in on the back
half, bringing a
Riesling-like lime note
to the close which is
long and nicely zesty.
2018 Mount Edward Gruner Veltliner
Rating Excellent
Wisps of lime zest,
stone fruit aspects, a
sprinkling of cracked
pepper. Rounded in
the mouth, stonefruit
meets greengage
plum, ripe yet relatively
dry with crispness on
the finish. Aeration
sees the nose really
expand in vibrancy,
adding comb honey
and beeswax, while
the palate also swells;
lovely counterpoint
here between richness
and lightly peppery
zestiness.
2024 Yealands Estate Single Vineyard Albarino
Rating Excellent
Quite floral, white
flowers, smoke and
citrus. The palate
offers grassy/herb
nuances, ripe
gooseberry, a touch of
salinity ever present in
the background.
Deceptive weight and
richness, with lip-
smacking sapidity on
the delightfully piquant
close. That sea-shell
salinity comes
through, like licking an
oyster shell, framed
with a lick of lime
citrus.
2024 Yealands Estate Single Vineyard P.G.R
Rating Excellent
A waft of gum,
honeysuckle, honey,
grilled nuts even, white
peach later. The first
sip emphasises the
ripe fruit, anticipating
sweetness, yet this
delivers refreshing,
almost tart dryness.
Spices, nuts, just-ripe
apricot, another wine
with a lip-smacking
quality that draws me
back for more. There’s
a real tanginess that’s
very engaging and
would be perfect on a
warm summer’s day.
2023 Misha’s Vineyard The Gallery Gewurztraminer
Rating Very Good to Excellent
Musk and Turkish
delight evident, spice
and fragrance. A
lighter, finer-bodied
expression of the
grape, fruit ripeness
suggestions sweetness
but this flows to a
nicely just off-dry
finish. Has that classic
Gewurz bittersweet
quality to the close
revolving around hints
of almond. Fruit
sweetness reappears
on the close, reminding
me of its suitability with
Asian cuisines.
2024 Te Kairanga Martinborough Pinot Gris
Rating Very Good to Excellent
Riper fruits lead,
flower blossom, nuts,
nicely aromatic.
Lovely richness in the
mouth, good palate
weight, fruit jellies,
ripe stone fruits, a
suggestion of dry
honey, flowing to a
dry close that echoes
the nutty elements on
the nose, nicely
balanced. With time,
apple notes, with the
acid backbone more
evident, that
freshness neatly
balancing the fruit
richness.
2024 Monte Christo Central Otago Pinot Gris
Rating Very Good to Excellent
Beguiling perfume
and fragrance, hard
to pin down precise
flavours but doing so
seems superfluous
as there’s delightful
delicacy to this
which draws you in.
Subtlety again on the
palate, elegant rather
than effusive, fine in
the mouth leading to
a nutty close.
Fleshes out nicely
with air; doesn’t
shout from the
rooftops but has
deceptive
drinkability.
2024 Hunter’s Marlborough Gewurztraminer
Rating Very Good to Excellent
Wafts of fruit sherbet,
musk, talc, gently
fragrant. Feels very
youthful, hints of
gum, there’s that
nice oiliness typical
of the grape, yet
remaining fresh,
crisp and fairly dry.
Air time sees that
fruit sherbet note
return along with ripe
stone fruits. The
texture builds nicely
all the while, the
flavours nicely in
tune with the weight
of the wine. Very
easy drinking.
