The panel dubbed this wine the “classic retro”, in recognition of its golden-peach and vanilla-bean flavours. “That fruit is delicious …

Steve Smith was taken with this wine’s papery, mineral texture, resembling white Burgundy. Citrus, vanilla, roasted white nuts, gunflint and …

Fruit from Marlborough’s fabled Clayvin Vineyard is behind two of our Top 10 wines. Lovely restrained white-flower scents lead to …

The Giesen brothers hold the football-shaped fuder – a German oak barrel – in high esteem and there’s certainly plenty …

The panel was smitten by the charm and  sophistication of this older wine. “Perfectly ripe and toned,” raved Steve Smith. …

A great single-vineyard wine should take you somewhere special and this wine certainly does. Pale in the glass, it offers …

They enjoy making chardonnay at GibbstonValley and have succeeded here with this fine, steely version that drew comparisons with chablis. …

This 2010 offers a good dose of warm, waxy, mature characters to go with riper, stonefruit and preserved lemon flavours. …

Another fine buy from a fine vintage, this wine represents yet another stylistic gear change. Biscuit, cedary spice, grapefruit and …

You get a lot for a modest outlay from this settled, very together Hawke’s Bay chard. Marzipan, citrus and hints …

This very drinkable style is well stocked with ripe melon and citrus flavours, overlaid with warm, rich toast and butterscotch …

Steve Smith described this as “old school” in reference to its sweet oak flavours and creamy warmth. Providing balance is …

Another track from the retro stack. This is a showy number, unafraid to show some oak embracing a core of …

De Vine in name, divine by nature. This lemon-coloured wine has developed beautifully, thanks to sensitive oak handling and well-ripened …

No fault lines that the panel could detect – just a steady flow of sweet lemon zest, fresh ginger and …

Attractive struck-match scents usher in an exotic array of flavours, rock melon and orange peel among them. “Very well-managed aromas”, …

Grown on a site with a great chardonnay track record, this Nelson wine is complex and sophisticated. Focused bright fruit, …

This wine provoked a lot of panel discussion, the overt gunflint flavours being the main talking point. “It’s full of …

There’s no shortage of oak in this version, as its rich, cedary aromas declare. Intense, fleshy fruit fills the mouth, …

This very handsome offering from our oldest winery is immediately intriguing with its oyster-shell and lime scents. It dances with …

The 17 Valley vineyard near TaylorsPass is the jewel in the Mount Riley crown. This is a gorgeously aromatic version, …

Nothing showy about this 2013; it is a restrained yet focused package. Classy aromatics – flintiness and limes – lead …

This label’s chardonnays get better by the vintage and this is a cracker. It oozes class, from the first whiff …

Toast and caramel, with a salty fresh tinge likened by Sam Harrop to green-lipped mussels, weigh in with warmth and …

This smart single-vineyard chardonnay from the team at Saint Clair has a lively, fresh, open spirit. Citrus, mineral and a …

The vicar has chosen well (again), but should be told to put this one aside for a year or two, …

Made in a dark, brooding style, this wine moves with a slower, more deliberate pace than most others in the …

The only Auckland wine among our top place-getters was grown in a vineyard with a medal-winning pedigree. Flinty, oyster-shell aromatics …