Recent examples:




Pinot Noir - Wine Advocate 88+ points
Sauvignon Blanc - Wine Advocate 88 points
Sauvignon Blanc - International Wine & Spirit Competition Bronze Medal




Late Harvest Chardonnay - International Wine & Spirit Competition Silver Medal
Pinot Noir - International Wine Challenge 2011 – Silver Medal
Pinot Noir - International Wine & Spirit Competition Silver Medal
Sauvignon Blanc - Decanter World Wine Awards 2011 - Bronze Medal
Sauvignon Blanc - International Wine Challenge 2011 - Bronze Medal




Chardonnay Unoaked - International Wine Challenge 2009 - Silver Medal
Riesling Medium - International Wine Challenge 2009 - Bronze Medal
Sauvignon Blanc - International Wine Challenge 2009 - Bronze Medal
Sauvignon Blanc - Vino Horeca Somelierov, Slovakia 2009 - Gold Medal




Pinot Noir - International Wine Challenge 2009 – Gold Medal
Pinot Noir - Decanter World Wine Awards 2008 – Bronze Medal
Pinot Noir - International Wine Challenge 2008 – Bronze Medal
Pinot Noir - Recommended in the Guardian & Observer ‘Wines of the World’, September 2008
Sauvignon Blanc - International Wine Challenge – Silver
Sauvignon Blanc - Decanter World Wine Awards 2008 – Bronze Medal
Sauvignon Blanc - Gold Medal and Best of Best, American Express Tower Club, Singapore




Riesling - Air New Zealand 2005 - Bronze Medal
Riesling - Michael Cooper Wine Guide 2006 - 3 stars
Riesling - International Wine Challenge 2008 - Bronze Medal
Sauvignon Blanc - International Wine Challenge 2006 – Silver




Chardonnay - Michael Cooper Buyer’s Guide - 4 stars
Pinot Noir - Michael Cooper Wine Guide 2006 - 3 stars
Riesling - Michael Cooper Wine Guide 2005 - 4 stars
Sauvignon Blanc - NZ Cuisine Magazine November 2004 - 4 stars
Sauvignon Blanc - Air New Zealand Wine Awards 2004 - Bronze Medal
Sauvignon Blanc - Royal Easter Show 2005 - Bronze Medal
Sauvignon Blanc - Michael Cooper Wine Guide 2005 - 4 stars
Sauvignon Blanc - Top 20, Oz Clarke's 2006 Wine Buyers Guide
Sauvignon Blanc - International Wine Challenge - Bronze Medal
Sauvignon Blanc - Michael Cooper Wine Guide 2006 - 4 stars
Sauvignon Blanc - Lianhe Zaobao Wine Review Challenge 2006 - Bronze




Chardonnay - Air New Zealand Wine Awards 2004 - Bronze Medal
Chardonnay - Michael Cooper Wine Guide 2005 - 4 stars
Chardonnay -Cuisine Top Ten Chardonnays, July 2005 - 4 stars
Chardonnay - Michael Cooper Wine Guide 2006 - 4 stars
Pinot Noir - Royal Easter Show 2005 - Bronze Medal
Pinot Noir - Michael Cooper Wine Guide 2005 - 4 stars
Pinot Noir - International Wine Challenge - Bronze Medal
Riesling -Wine International Magazine - 90 points
Riesling - International Wine & Spirit Competition – Bronze
Sauvignon Blanc - Decanter September 2004 - 4 stars
Sauvignon Blanc - Lianhe Zaobao Wine Review Challenge 2004 - Bronze Medal




Riesling - 2005 International Wine & Spirit Competition - Bronze Medal
Riesling - International Wine Challenge - Silver Medal




Chardonnay - International Wine Challenge 2004 - Bronze Medal
Chardonnay - Michael Cooper Wine Guide 2005 - 4 stars
Pinot Noir - Decanter July 2004, recommended





Chardonnay - Wine Magazine International Wine Challenge - Bronze
Chardonnay - La Revue du Vin de France, November 2003 - Four Stars
Chardonnay - Cuisine & Vins de France, Sept/October 2005
Riesling - Wine Magazine International Wine Challenge - Bronze
Riesling -La Revue du Vin de France, November 2003 - Four Stars
Pinot Noir - Wine Magazine – September 2002 - 88 points
Pinot Noir - Le guide Fleurus des Vins d'Ailleurs - un coup de Coeur
Sauvignon Blanc - Wine Magazine International Wine Challenge 2001 - Bronze





Chardonnay - Wine Magazine International Wine Challenge 2001 - Bronze
Chardonnay - Wine Magazine International Wine Challenge 2003 - Silver
Pinot Noir - Cuisine 2001 - 4 stars
Ram Paddock Red - Wine International July 2004, 5 years' on tasting, 90 points
Riesling - Cuisine 2000 - Four stars
Riesling - Wine Magazine International Wine Challenge 2001 - Silver
Riesling - Cuisine Magazine - July 2001 - four stars, 90 points
Sauvignon Blanc - Cuisine 2000 - Three stars
Sauvignon Blanc - Air New Zealand Wine Awards 1999  - Bronze
Sauvignon Blanc - Liquorland Top 100 1999 - Bronze
Sauvignon Blanc - Wine Magazine International Wine Challenge 2000 - Bronze
Sauvignon Blanc - The Penguin Good NZ Wine Guide - 4 glasses




Chardonnay - Cuisine 2000 - Four stars
Chardonnay - Wine Magazine International Wine Challenge 2000 - Bronze
Chardonnay - The Penguin Good NZ Wine Guide - 4 glasses
Pinot Noir - Liquorland Top 100 1999 - Gold
Pinot Noir - Cuisine 2000 - Five stars
Pinot Noir - Wine Magazine International Wine Challenge 1999 - Silver
Pinot Noir - The Penguin Good NZ Wine Guide - 5 glasses
Ram Paddock Red - Le guide Fleurus des Vins d'Ailleurs - three stars
Ram Paddock Red - Revue Vinicole Internationale June 2005 – article
Riesling - Wine Magazine International Wine Challenge 1999 - Bronze




Riesling - Wine Magazine International Wine Challenge 1998 - Silver



Chardonnay - Air New Zealand Wine Awards 1997 - Bronze
Chardonnay - International Wine & Spirit Competition 1998 - Silver
Chardonnay - Wine Magazine International Wine Challenge 1999 - Bronze
Ram Paddock Red - Air New Zealand Wine Awards 1997 - Silver
Ram Paddock Red - Wine Magazine International Wine Challenge 1999 - Bronze




Waipara West Sauvignon Blanc 2009
‘ What a shock to have to rummage at the back of the kitchen drawer to find a dusty corkscrew. A cork - in a sauvignon blanc! The surprises continue - it's a strange, mealy, concentrated, lemony, melony, pineappley wine with a big rush of acid at the end. But I loved it and it was even better on the day two. Definitely worth a look.’
Ewan Sargent

Waipara West Sauvignon Blanc 2006
‘ a New Zealand Sauvignon with a difference’
Harpers 4/7/2008


Waipara West Pinot Noir 2000, Nouvelle-Zélande

“Un excellent vin de gibier, fumé, épicé et complexe, mais frais.”
Challenges No 207, 11 Septembre 2003

Waipara West Riesling 2000
“Waipara Blanc. Ce riesling apparaît bien typé aromatiquement, et se caractérise par une très belle attaque. Direct et sobre, il est à la fois frais et minéral en bouche. Et surtout ferme et sec.”
La Revue du Vin de France
Novembre 2003


Waipara West Chardonnay 2000
“Blanc. Un vin d'inspiration sérieusement bouguignonne. Ferme et minéral. Il possède une immense fraicheur et une longueur tout à fait remarquable. Parfaitement équilibré. Ce Chardonnay met littérallement l'eau à la bouche.”
La Revue du Vin de France
Novembre 2003


Waipara West Cabernet Franc, Cabernet-Sauvignon, Merlot 1998
Canterbury region
“Région de Canterbury. Un assemblage à la bordelaise pour ce vin aux senteurs puissantes de résine et de cèdre, bouche élégante, vive, finale fruits confits.”
Le Point 04 July 2003 No1604

"Funky and iconoclastic in a rock'n'roll sort of way"                         
                               
Michael Palij MW, Decanter, May 2003


Les Meilleures Cuvees disponibles en France

WAIPARA WEST – Lutte raisonnee, vendanges manuelles, vinifications a la parcelled sont les bases. Le Pinot 2003 est un beau vin au fruit equilibre. Ram Paddock 1999, assemblage bordelaise, est plus sudiste.
La Revue du Vin de France
13 Septembre 2006



OZ CLARKE'S WINE BUYING GUIDE 2002
published by Little Brown @ £9.99

My 2002 Top Dozen

1999 Riesling, Waipara West
Riesling in all its naked glory, dry, aggressive, with bone dry apple peel fruit and lemon zest attack - even the honey seems strangely gaunt and dry.  Impressive, severe now, it will get richer and more honeyed over the next few years.

Magnificent Misfits
1999 Cabernet Franc, Waipara West

Waipara is sunny but it's cool, and the Cabernet Franc grape from cool Bordeaux may find it an ideal spot to ripen.  Certainly this gentle strawberry-flavoured red flecked with a hint of sage perfume bodes well.


OZ CLARKE'S WINE BUYING GUIDE 2003
published by
Time Warner Books UK @ £5.00

Best Buys – Runners Up
2000 Riesling , Waipara West

Waipara is one of the undiscovered gems of New Zealand's South Island and Riesling from here has a unique, challenging style.As bone dry as wine can get, taunting you not to like it. But I cannot resist it , because behind the cold exterior, the lean, taut texture, there's a fabulous flavour of lemon zest, crisp apple, the smokiness of tar and finally an inviting soft centre of honey, bread and cream.


OZ CLARKE'S WINE BUYING GUIDE 2005
published by Time Warner / Webster Books


2001 Waipara West Pinot Noir
Waipara West never flatters to deceive; they make almost arrogantly austere wines. But the ‘hauteur' of this wine doesn't mean it has no fruit – there's positively intense strawberry and cream fruit and even some chocolate richness, but at the same time you feel that you are licking the very stones of the vineyard.
 

2001 Riesling , Waipara West
This must be New Zealand's driest, most challenging Riesling, so any of you who see Riesling as a challenge in austerity, a sort of North Face of the Eiger white wine experience, well, get your crampons on and your ice pick sharpened, because this is marvellously taut wine, almost spritzy fresh, as zingy and sharp as piano wire dipped in lime – but right at the end there's just the slightest suggestion of honeybread and custard.


OZ CLARKE'S WINE BUYING GUIDE 2006
published by Little, Brown Book Group

2004 Sauvignon Blanc
For those of us who appreciate tangy, green-scented dry whites, here’s a New Zealand example. Classic kiwi Sauvignon – lashings of gooseberry, nettle, capsicum and lime fruit syrup and high acidity producing a wine that seems both rich and bone dry at the same time.



OZ CLARKE'S WINE BUYING GUIDE 2007
published by Time Warner Books

Oz's Top Wines £7- £10
2004 Chardonnay, Two Terrace, Waipara West,
Waipara, New Zealand

This comes from a superb, out-of-the-way vineyard in South Island, New Zealand. It’s rich and round, deep and soft with a lovely sense of beeswax and lanolin, earth and a wild, funky, savage quality I keep saying is pheromonal without ever quite working out why - that’s pheromones for you - and a final ancient autumn flavour of quince and medlars. Wines like this make Chardonnay interesting again.




Hand-harvested grapes have set the platform for a well-balanced wine. A soft approach, a juicy mid-palate and a clean, refreshing acidity combine to leave a pleasant, lingering finish. While it takes a lot to make a chardonnay complex and truly interesting, the efforts made to create an attractive and satisfying varietal expression without ligneous intervention provide a crisp and dry pre-dinner option.


Christchurch Press ‘Zest’ 31/07/09
www.press.co.nz - Lifestyle