Chenin Blanc

Maxim Wines is a small wine producer in Hawke?s Bay, owned by winemaker Darragh Hughes, who produces small batches of beautiful, handcrafted wines, specialising in Chenin Blanc and Syrah. 

This Chenin is a fresh, pure and expressive with white florals and stonefruit aromas, apple and citrus notes. This lovely medium-bodied wine has an elegantly concentrated core of white florals, apple, stonefruit and citrus notes. The palate possesses a fine structure and balance, the textures and acidity flow through to the taut finish.

Maxim Wines' aim is to make wines that are an honest expression of where they?re from and how they?re made, speaking the truth of the soil beneath the vines, the sun that ripened the fruit and the light touch that shaped the finished drop.

Fromm winemaker Hatsch Kalberer makes this wine from hand harvested grapes which are pressed into 228L and 600L Burgundy oak barrels for wild yeast fermentation and then matured in barrel on fine lees for 12 months. The result is a super fresh, vibrant and full bodied dry white which expresses the great refreshing acidity of the Chenin Blanc grape - and his thoughtful winemaking. 

An outstanding wine and one of our staff favourites. Great as an aperitif because it's so refreshing and also excellent with seafood.

The new Dicey Wine brand is the brainchild of the well experienced Dicey brothers, Matt and James, whose parents were among the pioneers of viticulture and winemaking in Bannockburn, Central Otago, when they co-founded Mt Difficulty Wines.

This fresh and fruity wine, made from 100% Chenin Blanc is a perfect match for white fish or an excellent aperitif. The nose is lemony and fresh, with green apple, honey notes, and a touch of floral complexity. This is a dry and mineral Vouvray, with moderate acidity and a medium-full body. Champalou embraces sustainable farming methods and biodynamic principles in their vineyards, producing elegant wines with great finesse.

Notes from the winemaker.

This wine is slightly cloudy and the first smell is of olive stone and almost briny, there is light dried straw much like the scarecrow and yet with the pear prettiness of Dorothy . A touch of honey and a whisper of almond are present. The acidity is round, but refreshing and then there?s heaps of long chained tannin giving a very long textured pucker and a drying finish. It is cloudy from natural sediments, and smells very clearly of its origins in terms of place and fruit. The taste is long and intense. Once opened, this wine will last, even improve, for a number of days afterwards, so take your time, savour and drink in moderation. Handmade.

? BioGro Certified Organic 

? Demeter Certified Biodynamic 

? Grown and bottled on the Property

? Dry farmed 

? Unfined. Contains no animal products.

Les Fondraux is semi-sweet: it always has some residual sugar, wich gives concentration and fullness to the palate. White flowers dominate the nose and help bring into focus all of the wine's freshness, fullness, minerality and vivacity. Whilst young, the wine matches perfectly with river fish, charcuterie, goat's cheese, and sweet-and-sour dishes. With age, the flavours can manage more spicy foods and white meat. - Champalou note.

Grape varieties: Chenin Blanc

Winemaking: Pressing of the grapes and overnight settling; controlled alcoholic fermentation in order to preserve the residual sugar. The winemakers aim to produce wines that are perfectly balanced beween fresh fruit and floral aromas.

Soil: Clay and limestone base with sandy patches, where Chenin gives its best
Climate: Oceanic and continental climate.
Aging: Control of the alcoholic fermentation in vats to preserve residual sugar.

Tasting notes:
Brilliant clear yellow. Seductive nose with lovely fruit aromas (pear, pineapple) and delicate floral notes. Smooth on the palate with a nice refreshing finish.

Food matches: Aperitif, smoked fish, Asian dishes, creamy cheese.

Best served between 8°C and 10°C (46-50°F).

Lovely dry, full bodied, Loire Valley sparkling Chenin Blanc from Domaine des Aubuisieres; producers of impressive bubbly and still Chenin Blancs such as this outstanding sparkling wine.

Fermented on skins for 190 days this wine is grown traditionally and fermented without intervention. Apure expression of the Opou Vineyard, home to Chardonnay for 50 years.

? BioGro Certified Organic 

? Demeter Certified Biodynamic 

? Grown and bottled on the Property

? Dry farmed 

? Unfined. Contains no animal products.

The Amedee cuvée by Philippe Brisebarre is a dry Vouvray vinified and aged in 500 litre barrels. It reveals subtle aromas of white-fleshed fruits, accompanied by gentle vanilla notes. On the palate, this wine offers a beautiful liveliness and great aromatic complexity, harmoniously combining the flavours of ripe fruits, honey, and gentle spices. 

?Meltwater is a new collection of small batch organic wines with texture and interest ? No formula here, just deliciously crisp and pure wines that express everything we love about Marlborough. The wines are named for the glacial meltwaters of the last ice age, which flowed from the high country of Marlborough, depositing sedimentary rock material as they criss-crossed the valleys below.? ?Mike & Anna Paterson, Corofin



Tasting Note: Picked ripe but still with a citrus core and good acidity. As with the 2021, plenty of pithy, waxy dry extract which is texturally very appealing. Plenty of interest and seductive on release.

Winemaking Notes: Hand harvested April 10th 2022. Natural ferment in older puncheons. Slow and steady primary fermentation over 7 months, stopping at 4gl RS; full malolactic fermentation on original lees. Racked, filtered and bottled March 2023. Biogro certified 6110. Only 65 cases made.

The Wrekin Vineyard lies within its own small valley located on the north facing slopes of the Fairhall Valley. It is part of a sub-region of Marlborough known as the Southern Valleys.

This wine is made by Jeremy Hyland (vigneron) and winemaker H?tsch Kalberer offering and offers intense orange blossom and stone fruit on the nose. All the classic aromatics of a Chenin Blanc. The palate is dry and broad with focused crisp acidity balanced with rich lime and pear.

The Kaapzicht (Cape View) Wine Estate covers 174 hectares in the Bottelary Ward in the world-famous Stellenbosch district of South Africa. The vineyards stretch over predominantly north-facing slopes on fertile granite soils with a climate that favours the cultivation of quality wine grapes.

This wine is made using fruit from old bush vines planted in weathered granite topsoil and crumbly clay sub-soil, with a yield of up to 4 tons per hectare. Some of the fruit coming from a vineyard planted in 1947 (second oldest Chenin in the country).

Made reductively. Grapes were harvested during early morning hours in cool temperatures and were given ? 8-10 hours skin contact. Enzymes were used to help extract flavours while on the skins. Wine lay on the lees for 3 months before being racked, cleaned & bottled.

Tasting Notes
Ripe quince, pineapple and stone fruit with some interesting savoury undertones. Lightly textured palate, with a hint of sweetness and balancing crunchy acid, results in a brisk finish.