Jim Jerram is the leading pioneer of the developing Waitaki Valley viticultural region. His Ostler label is based in the hamlet of Kurow (where Richie McCaw played his first rugby) and has developed a fine reputation for Pinot Noir and aromatic whites. The name comes from Jim’s great-grandfather, William Ostler, who came from Yorkshire to this area in the 1850s. The Waitaki climate is cooler than Central Otago, thanks to afternoon easterly breezes sucked in from the coast, however the ripening season is longer and lower frost risks.

Showing lightly caramelised red apples and pears on the nose this richly bodied Pinot Gris delivers a delightful blend of spices on the palate. Gingerbread, cinnamon and rose petal dance on the tongue accompanied by green fruit and a hint of lychee. These flavours and its generous texture make it a perfect match for pan-fried scallops or Munster cheese.

This delicious sweet Riesling is produced from hand-selected, overripe (noble rot) grape bunches. The young wine was given three months ageing and settling on lees in the tank before bottling five months after harvest.

The nose shows pungent bush honey, orange and jasmine flowers. A long palate is beautifully balanced by natural acidity, full of baked quince, fig, lashings of honey and citrus fruits. This wine will blossom over time and exhibit greater complexity over the coming years to 2020.

Your eyes are not deceiving you; this is indeed a New Zealand wine made from Arneis, that little-known Italian variety. As much as I love the weird and wonderful, we would not be listing this wine if it were not superb – and it is, superb.

The nose is full of fresh white peach and pink grapefruit, combining with the touch of almond that you would expect from Italian Arneis. The palate is pure, mineral and precise; it feels light and lively, dancing on the palate, but is medium-bodied with delicate yet concentrated fruit and good texture behind. Notes of pear, dried straw and lemon verbena creep through, complemented by more white peach and wet stone minerality on the long length. This is a lovely, lovely wine from Swiss genius in New Zealand, Hans Herzog.                         
Catriona Felstead MW - Wine Buyer 

As the name suggests, Hans Herzog's roots lie in Switzerland where the family has grown wine since 1630. Looking for a new challenge, in the mid-1990s they planted an 11-hectare vineyard bordering the Wairau River here in Marlborough. Hans has adopted an experimentalist stance, cultivating an eclectic array of varieties.

The white grape varieties of the Northern Rhône – Viognier, Marsanne, Roussanne – are given a distinctly New World interpretation in the hands of Hans Herzog. Bold aromas of peach, pineapple, and coconut are immediately appealing. The palate offers plenty of crisp acidity, a rich, creamy texture and an herbal, savoury character which lingers on the finish. This would make an excellent partner for a full-flavoured chicken or seafood favourite. Enjoy now and over the next three to five years.

Having worked at wineries around the world, Steve Davies decided to go it alone in 2002, buying Doctors Flat, a single three-hectare vineyard. Farmed organically, the vines are tended carefully, while the wine is made with minimal intervention to reflect its place of origin.

The 2013 is a lifted, aromatic yet generous style of Pinot Noir with a fresh raspberry and blackberry nose and a savoury touch of grilled meat on the finish. The fruit turns to ripe red cherries on the palate – juicy, succulent and sweet – but with a beautiful freshness that makes this eminently drinkable now. The tannins are soft, supple and fine with a corduroy smoothness and the finish is supremely long. Steve Davies has yet again made a truly lovely wine; fruit-forward yet so elegant with an impressive capacity to age, this has to be one of the finest Pinot Noirs in Central Otago. Drink now to 2025.

Pale ruby in color with a touch of purple in the rim, the 2013 Moutere Pinot Noir has aromas of fresh raspberries, kirsch and lavender with a chocolate and cinnamon laced undercurrent. Medium-bodied, it offers delicate red fruit and a gentle spiciness, supported by fine-grained tannins, finishing with good length.
Drinking window 2016-2020.
Lisa Perrotti-Brown, The Wine Advocate. 31st December 2015.

The 2013 Moutere Chardonnay has a gorgeous nose redolent of apricot, lemon curd and green mango plus nuances of honeyed toast, cashews and struck match. Medium-bodied, it is still very tight and youthful with great intensity, a lively acid backbone, and a long and layered finish.
Lisa Perrotti-Brown - The Wine Advocate, 2nd Jan 2015

Lots of pulpy, bright cassis fruit on the nose. Toasty as well from the 18 months in barrel (French oak, mostly new). Lots of brambly black fruit on the palate. Tannins are perfectly ripe and integrated. Very complete mouth feel and lingering finish. Bitter chocolate note on finish with a fresh redcurrant acidity. Superb this year. Give it a couple of years in the cellar.
Fergus Stewart - Private Account Manager
 
The nose is rich, opulent and broad; but has the detail and intricacies that vintages such as 2009 now have. On the palate one could be forgiven for thinking that this is a top level Medoc Claret in a great vintage. Such is the palate saturating, rich, complex fruit character. There is a wonderful wave of fine, ripe tannins just waiting to unfurl, which when they do is like a whirlwind on the palate. There is great freshness and coolness to this wine and although I haven’t re-tasted their last few efforts recently I am more than happy to declare this the best I’ve tasted.
Gary Owen - Private Account Manager

The 2013 Chardonnay is quite a butterball of a style with rich buttered toast and ripe melon notes over a core of baked pineapple, guava and mango. The medium-bodied palate has a racy acid line to cut through the abundance of fruit and richness before finishing with great persistence.
Wine Advocate - Dec 2014

The style of pinot that Cloudy Bay have set themselves up around is a bold, brassy and assertively oaked style but the bold and ripe brambly dark cherry fruits are up to the task. Then there's gentle citrus peel along with earth, spices and herbs. The tannins are strong but smooth, and there's plenty of freshness and energy on the palate. Flavoursome dark cherry fruits run deep.
James Suckling - jamessuckling.com - March 2015

The nose leads with cinnamon, vanilla and more red fruits than the typical dark cherry from this warmer 2013 vintage. A soft and comforting mouthfeel that is broad and expansive. Being a blend of  three Bannockburn vineyards, this contributes various layers of generous ripe fruits and creamy textural elements. The wine has a pleasant rusticity to the structure adding complexity and depth. Hints of liquorice on the long enveloping finish.