501 products
501 products
- Syrah
- Sustainable
- Dry
- Residual Sugar: 2.00 g/l
- Medium Bodied
- 750ml
- 13.50% alc./vol
About the Winery
Blank Canvas
Blank Canvas is the personal wine range of husband and wife team, Matt Thomson and Sophie Parker-Thomson.
Having completed over fifty back-to-back vintages in both New Zealand and Europe as an award-winning winemaking consultant, Matt together with Sophie felt it was time to create and build a wine brand together, with their first vintage in 2013. Blank Canvas embodies their own expression of art-meets-science with single-vineyard, small batch wines that push the sensory boundaries and challenge winemaking orthodoxy.
Winemaker Matt Thomson’s science background defines the parameters of his winemaking canvas, allowing creativity to flow within those bounds. Together with business partner, Master of Wine student and wife Sophie Parker-Thomson, Matt is striving to achieve the unique winemaking fusion between art and science, pushing the boundaries to capture a unique expression.
Sophie recently obtained her Master of Wine title, joining 149 women MWs globally with the total number of MWs in the world now 418 in 32 countries.
Press Reviews
Cameron Douglas, MS
95 Points
Outstanding ‘A powerful bouquet driven by aromas of spices and dark red fleshed fruits, seasoned red meats and there’s layers of barrel and smoke, wood spices and pressed violets. Complex and youthful. Equally powerful on the palate with a firm taut texture from tannins and back bone of acidity; tempering and contrasting core fruit flavours of dark berries and spiced meats layer in complexity and mouthfeel. This wine needs more time, it is delicious already, dry and lengthy. Best drinking from very late 2023 through 2033
The Real Review
95 Points - Bob Campbell
Intense wine with an appealing seamless texture and lifted aromatics. Dark berry, cassis, dark chocolate, vanilla, anise, and black pepper are also evident. Elegant, supple wine—a pleasure to taste
- White Wine
- Sauvignon Blanc
- Sustainable
- Dry
- Light Bodied
- 750ml
About the Winery
Paddy Borthwick
Proudly family owned, the Borthwick vineyard is an established vineyard situated in Gladstone, the heart of the Wairarapa. Producing quality wine for over a decade, Paddy, an experienced wine maker, has gained a reputation for producing consistently great wines. The twenty seven hectares of vines bordering the Ruamahunga River are growing on stony, free draining, alluvial soils, with a micro climate giving warm daily temperatures, cool nights and low rainfall; perfect conditions for producing distinctive, quality wines.
In line with the family’s legacy of international trade, 90 percent of the wine is exported around the world. Paddy believes in sustainability and best practice within a vineyard, developing an asset for generations to come.
Like the four P’s of marketing, we believe in the four P’s of Wine: Place, People, Passion, and Philosophy.
- Red Wine
- Nebbiolo
- Sustainable
- Dry
- Residual Sugar: 2.00 g/l
- Full Bodied
- 750ml
- 14.50% alc./vol
About the Winery
Piazzo Comm. Armando
The story of the Piazzo winery began in San Rocco Seno d’Elvio, a small outlying district of the town of Alba, in the 1960s.
Two newly-weds from families of farmers, Armando Piazzo and Gemma Veglia, decided together to carry on their family traditions by investing in a special terroir – the Langhe – which at the time was not yet renowned for its premium foods and wines. As a matter of fact, with the hard times the farming community were experiencing following the Second World War, the Langhe then were the land of local writer Fenoglio’s “La Malora” (The Ruin), and somewhere to escape from. For the Piazzos however, this was all the motivation they needed in order to start their own business.
Their foresight then led them to invest in the varietal which today produces some of the most highly-prized wines in the world: Nebbiolo.
Over the course of the years, many plots of land were purchased and converted for the growing of the varietal. Then in 1979 the first wine was made from the grapes they had placed so much faith in, and three years later it was to bear the name Barbaresco.
When their daughter Marina and her husband Franco joined Armando and Gemma in the business, they fell in love with this wonderful venture which was gradually becoming more established, and with their enthusiasm improvements were made that culminated in 1985 with the release of their first Barolo: another source of pride for the Piazzo family.
Along with the cellar’s reputation, the estate also grew in size. Today the vineyards extend over more than 70 hectares (170 acres), mostly located near the winery itself, but some in other municipalities: Mango, Neviglie, Guarene and Novello.
Press Reviews
Decanter World Wine Awards
96 Points
A disarming purity of red fruit with a subtle array of chalky minerals and tobacco, furnished with fine, papery tannins, sleek acidity and an impressive persistence.
Wine Advocate
94 Points - Monica Larner
This wine shows more structure and texture compared to the Argè. That wine was centered on floral aromas, but the Piazzo Comm. Armando 2021 Barbaresco Pajorè holds its aromas closer to the ground with tilled earth, pulverized stone and iris root. It remains bright and focused throughout. Matured in French oak, its ends on a silky note with sweet cherry. I would suggest giving it a little bit more time to age. This is a production of just 2,100 bottles and bigger formats.
- Pinot Noir
- Sustainable
- Dry
- Residual Sugar: 3.00 g/l
- 750ml
- 13.50% alc./vol
Press Reviews
Wine Orbit
93 Points - Sam Kim
Sweetly ripe and elegantly perfumed, showing dark plum, strawberry, fragrant spice and roasted nut aromas with a hint of earthy mushroom complexity. It's supple and beautifully rounded on the palate displaying flowing texture and silky tannins, offering gorgeous drinking. At its best: now to 2026
- Red Wine
- Pinot Noir
- Sustainable, Vegan-Friendly, Volcanic
- Dry
- Residual Sugar: 3.00 g/l
- Medium Bodied
- 750ml
- 14.50% alc./vol
Press Reviews
Wine Pilot
92 Points - Ken Gargett
A fresh and vibrant Pinot from the Upper Yarra Valley, specifically the Full Moon Vineyard which was planted in 2001. Maturation is in French oak, a portion of it new. The wine is the colour of liqueur cherry, while the aromas include strawberries, spices, herbs, bay leaves, and cassis. A ripe style with attractive maraschino cherry notes, this is well focused, seamless and exhibits red fruits throughout. Very fine tannins, bright acidity, and a lingering finish. Enjoy this any time over the next three to five years.
- White Wine
- Chardonnay
- Sustainable, Volcanic
- Dry
- Residual Sugar: 2.00 g/l
- Medium Bodied
- 750ml
- 13.50% alc./vol
About the Winery
Vinos Baettig
Francisco Baettig and Carlos de Carlos have been friends for more than 20 years and share a passion for high-quality wines that are genuine and connected to the land where they are made.
Their families arrived in Traiguén and Purén from Switzerland in the 19th century, where they worked in agriculture, surrounded by volcanoes, lakes and forests, silos, livestock, wagons, and wheat fields.
Francisco and Carlos' passion for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, together with their love for the land of their ancestors, was the inspiration for making their own wines that pay homage to these beloved terroirs. After studying the soil and climate in Traiguén for several years, they chose a plateau with volcanic soil between the Quino and Traiguén Rivers and planted vines in 2013.
"A promising project in a wine region that is the future of high-quality Chilean wines" - Patricio Tapia, Descorchados
Press Reviews
Wineanorak Global Wine Journal
94 Points - Jamie Goode
Complex but still fresh with some toast and honey, as well as ripe lemon and melon fruit with some orange peel character and a touch of hazelnut. Lovely depth and intensity here with nice bright acidity on the finish. This is evolving in nice ways.
- Fortified Wine, Red Wine
- Sousón, Tinta Roriz, Touriga Francesa
- Sustainable
- Dry
- Residual Sugar: 75.00 g/l
- Full Bodied
- 750ml
- 19.00% alc./vol
Press Reviews
Wine Advocate
94 Points - Mark Squires
The 2018 Vintage Port is a field blend, which is mostly represented as Touriga Franca (30%), Touriga Nacional (20%) and Tinta Roriz (15%), with dollops of others for the rest. It is unoaked and comes in with 86 grams of residual sugar. This is sourced from Quinta Vale d’Agodinho in the Ferradosa Valley, planted in 1983. Dry, stern and very serious, this projects a lot of power, with the fruit well in second place just now. Tight and needing to unravel, this is built to age, which is generally a good thing for Port. This is going to be one that will require a little extra patience, even if it is true that people are diving into Vintage Ports younger than ever these days. It should age and develop well. In fact, three days later, it showed off its good fruit more, while still finishing with firmness. As noted, it's a very dry and serious style, so don't expect a fruit bomb. If that style is your style, this is superb, with plenty of room to improve in the cellar. Its purity is a plus.
- Red Wine
- Grenache
- Organic, Sustainable
- Dry
- 750ml
- 12.5% alc./vol
About the Winery
Domaine Peter Sichel
Tucked away in a hidden valley in a remote corner of the Languedoc-Roussillon lies a truly special place: the village of Cucugnan. Historically, there was much wine produced here, given its isolated location, but gradually the local people moved away to the towns. There are now just 130 people living in the village. As the vineyards were left mostly abandoned, the local flora and fauna were permitted to thrive. Cucugnan became a unique area, full of biodiversity, which shines through in the rare plants and flowers that grow there today.
Peter Sichel (of the Bordeaux négociant family) first discovered this valley on a road trip with a friend in the 1960s. He was so spellbound by the place that he bought a house there and, in 1988, planted a vineyard. The project grew, albeit slowly, but the arrival of Peter’s thoughtful and environmentally inspired grandson, Alexander Sichel, has turned the Domaine Peter Sichel project completely around.
Since 2019, Alexander has converted the estate to organics and biodynamics, achieving organic certification in 2022. Furthermore, he is committed to supporting polyculture in and around the vineyards, even enlisting the help of a PhD programme from a Dutch university to identify the incredible array of plant life in the vineyard.
Alexander’s grandfather planted the vines between 30-40 years old. Parcels of Grenache, Syrah, Carignan, and Roussanne lie mostly on the best slopes of the valley. Starting from 350-500 metres’ altitude, these slopes have very little topsoil; the roots go almost straight into the bedrock. The viticultural team here has done much work to focus on the unique characteristics of each parcel to express the terroir of this stunning valley in the most authentic way.
- White Wine
- Chardonnay
- Organic, Sustainable
- Dry
- Residual Sugar: 2.00 g/l
- Medium Bodied
- 750ml
- 13.00% alc./vol
About the Winery
Iona Vineyards
"THE WINEMAKER IS THE CUSTODIAN OF THE FRUIT"
Iona is planted to Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir. We have invested in state-of-the-art equipment such as the latest Willmes Press, Bucher Delta Oscillys de-stemmer. A deep trust in the way we farm, lends us to adopt natural winemaking practices in the cellar with minimum use of sulphur, commercial yeasts, enzymes, and filtration. We aim to make wines that portray the uniqueness of each vintage celebrating a true sense of place without overplaying the winemaking hand.
People are an integral part of our success. We have 20 families living on the farm with up to 35 years of service. All vineyard practices are done by hand. Workers are shareholders and receive pension funds, education and social support.
Press Reviews
Decanter World Wine Awards
97 Points
100% Chardonnay. After a Platinum win for Elgin Chardonnay last year, we all suspected it was only a matter of time before this propitious combination of variety and region would make its way into our Top Fifty. So it proved this year, as this high-sited (200m-450m), mountain-fringed zone in the Cape's deep, ocean-cooled south brought us one of the most memorable of this year's Chardonnay cohort. It's pale dawn-yellow in colour, with taut yet close-knit aromas that suggest plant sap, peeled vegetable and spring leaf as much as green fruits. The 11 months' oak provide an aromatic backdrop without obscuring vineyard character. On the palate, the wine is lean, shapely, intense: a cool waterfall of Chardonnay fruits which sweep seamlessly over the tongue, leaving it looking for more. Drinkability, refreshment and a unique regional style come together memorably here. Best in Show.