The breadth of experience of chief winemaker Jeff Clarke shows in this pristine beauty. Pure and juicy, with an attractive …

This concise, fragrant package from talented English-born winemaker Andrew Hedley is all fresh herbs, ripe lemon and apple. The fruit …

This is a classy rendition from Marlborough stalwart Jules Taylor. It shows early restraint then grows beautifully through the palate, …

Attractive juniper berry and Italian bitters notes come through in this bright, focused wine, named for the great-great-great-great Maori grandmother …

A touch of barrel fermentation enriches and rounds out the texture here. The vociferous, ripe-fruit presence, brimming with intense yellow …

This balanced wine was praised for its creamy texture, ‘warm lemon’ acidity and value for money. After a quiet, savoury …

The only 2012 wine in our Top 10 won plaudits for its well-crafted, toasty oak complexity. A beguiling texture and …

Floral scents are the pathway to an intense, effusive mouthful. The fruit is expressive – fresh apples, passionfruit and honeydew …

“It has unmistakable varietal signature without being over the top,” noted Sam Kim. There is certainly a less is more …

Described by John Belsham as “the most international wine in the top line-up”, this elegant beauty is reminiscent of a …

Outstanding value once again from Framingham’s second label. This wine has what it takes to be a resounding summer hit; …

Now part of the New Zealand component of American Bill Foley’s wine empire, the Sanctuary label is ever-reliable and sharply …

The famous “sweat” note comes through in this high-volume, powerful wine. Beyond the pungent aromatics, you meet up with a …

TuataraBay is one of a number of wines worthy of the “classic Marlborough” accolade in this tasting. Crisp and juicy, …

“That is a superb white wine,” said John Belsham. “And it’s at a perfect drinking age right now.” There is …

Tending towards lean in style, this lively expression has the six-pack abs and sinewy structure of eager youth. Floral scents …

The panel loved the complexity of this astutely made 2012 with plenty of life left in it. A toasty, edgy …

High-revving flinty, green scents set the tone. Flavoursome fruit, incisive acids and an attractively fleshy texture then take over, providing …

Awatere means fast flowing, a description that also applies to many wines from the valley, including this punchy, pure version. …

$20-$30 With over 30 years’ growing experience in Marlborough, the Isabel team knows its vineyards. That comes through in this …

From the winery closest to the epicentre of the Seddon shakes comes a bold wine that should trigger a tremor …

French winemaker Damien Yvon is a devotee of sauvignon blanc à la Marlborough. Texture and flinty flamboyance, rather than primary …

With every purchase of Spinyback wine (Waimea Estates’ second label), you’re helping the tuatara, the grandest spinyback of them all. …

From Marborough’s AwatereValley, the Squealing Pig label is sassy in both presentation and style. Citrus, tropical fruit and elderflower notes …

Older vines and a fine site in the central Wairau Valley are part of the successful Stoneburn recipe. The outcome …

Jamie Marfell and his Stoneleigh team are very proud of their 2013s, and justifiably so. This is a beautiful sauvignon, …

Produced at Wither Hills as an approachable and affordable alternative, Two Tracks delivers on all fronts this year. Juicy and …

Yet again, this label provides excellent value. “Lifted herbal and tropical fruit notes, racy acids, great intensity and length – …

This wine from one of Marlborough’s most experienced labels is well endowed with the ‘delicious factor’. Powerful, generous and weighty, …

Upfront flintiness introduces a fascinating mouthful, where lime zest, dill and yellow plum notes all sing in harmony. It would …

It’s worth lingering over this wine’s perfume, which conjures visions of a feijoa and guava-based tropical fruit salad. In the …

From the Tohu stable and estate-grown at the Whenua Matua vineyard in the Upper Moutere, this wine has what James …

Steve Bird has literally flown there and made that in the course of his long winemaking career, here and abroad. …

Sauvignon blanc is not necessarily out of its comfort zone in HawkesBay, as evinced by this wine from Chris Scott. …

AwatereValley acids have plenty to say in this lively expression from the Foley Family Wines stable. Lovely florals and no …

Part of the Invivo range (Eight Point references both the eight points of the Invivo star logo and the quintessential Kiwi …

Made by Jules Taylor, the wines from this quality-driven label are always attention-grabbing. Racy, herbal scents provide the locomotive. Backing …

A very attractive array of scents and tastes are the main draw here. Nettle, tropical fruit, currants, lime zest and …

This vineyard in the Waihopai is owned and operated by Langdon-Lane/Janssen family, and is, they jest, proudly dependent on child …

This is an intriguing wine. A little bottle age comes through in green bean, snowpea-like flavours, which harmonise well with …

A typically crisp, focused wine from a label with a fine track record of delivering quality. Dabs of green and …

Over recent vintages awards have flowed with the steadiness of the Wairau itself for this winery’s sauvignon blancs. This new …

“It has wonderful concentration and intensity,” enthused John Belsham. This wine is certainly an extrovert, brimming with citrusy, zesty, fruit-driven …

Matua means head of the family which is apt, as it was the first label to plant sauvignon blanc in …

One of Matua’s two single vineyard sauvignons, this is a splendidly pungent, out there rendition. Flinty, green aromatics lead seamlessly …

Showing some toasty bottle-age notes and attractive flintiness, this lovely single-vineyard wine maintains a generous core of ripe fruit – …

Grown on a site on the western side of the WaiparaValley, this fresh style displays plenty of verve and drive. …

  MountRiley is the highest point of the RichmondRange and there are plenty of high points in this focussed wine. …

You get a lot of high-revving Marlborough typicity for your dollar with this attractive, expressive rendition. Fresh garden herbs and …

The Woolshed Vineyard is located in the upper reaches of the Wairau. This is a distinctively leafy, asparagus-infused style with …

In typical Saint Clair fashion, this wine demands attention from the first sniff. Lifted flint and lime zest scents make …

The clergy (even Anglican vicars) is known to have very good taste in wine. So you won’t be disappointed by …

Hawkes Bay-based Sileni makes a power of Marlborough sauvignon blanc, and powerful ones at that. In this one musky, leafy …

This label is forever popular, both here and abroad. The 2013 is truly on song. Flinty and insistent, it has …

With all the sparkle and clarity of a cut diamond, this wine is a shining example of what 2013 could …

It begins as restrained, quite lovely fruit aromas but becomes a bold, dry mouthful, rounded and weighty, with ripe fruit …

The original Tinpot Hut was an old mustering hut, back in the days before vines outnumbered sheep in Marlborough. This …

Brancott Estate’s Triplebank vineyard on the southern side of the Awatere River can be counted on for wines with striking …

Dave Clouston’s latest blend of Wairau and Awatere fruit has plenty of limey pungency set against a very attractive, quite …

A year on, this little herb-meister from the Awatere is looking in great form, mainly due to its good concentration …

Villa’s Reserve sauvignons have long stood apart for their impressive texture – lush, caressing. This wine is in that mould, …

This is another silky, creamy textured treat from the experienced Villa crew in Marlborough. Ripe apple and citrus flavours are …

Produced by the country’s only Rotorua-based winery, this expression offers an abundance of leafy, tomato vine notes. In the mouth …

This light and lovely version from Nelson throws out bright, restless, peachy scents. It’s lively and crisp in the mouth, …

A lot of thought and care has gone into making this elegant, restrained expression. Attractive vanilla oak mingles well with …

Prepare for a frontal assault of musky, leafy aromatics. In the mouth there’s a basso profundo quality with round, juicy, …