Rich, sometimes pungent, and lusciously sweet, late harvest and noble wines can be the гltimate way to finish a meal - all you need is a little smoked or blue cheese, or an almond biscotti.
BEST UNDER $20
$19.95 (375ml)
A pungent dessert wine with hints of toasted cashews, dried apricots and honey, and a rich, oily texture and clean finish.
Good value
Four stars (out of five)
$32
Pungent with rosepetals, rich and full bodied, this is gewurztraminer on steroids. There are hints of lemon butter and nuts, a heavy, silky texture and intense brightness on the dryish finish. Powerful stuff.
Average value
Four stars
$30
Fragrant with roses and lychees and perhaps just a suggestion of jet fuel, this is rich and crisply silky, but has a hot, almost spiritous burn on the finish. It's from Villa Maria's home vineyard in a volcanic crater near Auckland airport.
Below average value
Three stars
$29 375 ml
Vendange tardive means late harvest and this sweet, richly seductive wine oozes honey, citrus, golden kiwifruit, lychees, toasted cashews and creamy caramel, but it's restrained by the silky texture and crisp acidity. Delicious.
Average value
Four stars
$22.95 375ml
A botrytised riesling aged in oak like a semillon which gives it weight, this funky, sweet wine suggests yellow peach, mandarin, dried apricot, toasted nuts and creme anglaise mingled with a suggestion of solvent and a crisp toasty finish.
Good value
Four stars
$40 375ml
A superb example of richly unctuous yet delicate botrytised riesling, with hints of dried apricot, tropical fruit and a fresh citrus lift and a steely acidity that balances the intense sweetness. Another year or so and this will be mindblowing!
Average value
Five stars
Although wine sent for review is tasted blind to eliminate preconceptions, all wine tasting and evaluation is subjective. These are personal recommendations. charmian.smith@odt.co.nz
Two stars - simple, clean, enjoyable wine; three stars - good wine with varietal characteristics; four stars - very good wine with some outstanding characteristics; five stars - outstanding wine with balance and harmony that leaves you with a sense of wonder.
