Wines to impress.
Maybe the boss is popping round, the difficult in-laws are in town, you want them to think you always drink the good stuff, but you also don't want to throw too much money at it.
Yvonne Lorkin from winefriend.co.nz has chosen one white and one red guaranteed to impress.
Saint Clair Pioneer block Cell Block Chardonnay 2013, $32
Sourced from the fantastic, free-draining Dillons Point dirt in Marlborough, this chardonnay just hammers home the message that our largest wine region is really on a roll, churning out world-class white Burgundy.
Saint Clair has never been a slouch when it comes to creating great chardonnay, but the 2013 Cell Block brings it to a whole new level.
Intoxicating aromas of grilled pineapple, brulee and buttered toast dusted with vanilla and cinnamon.
Beautifully balanced, succulent and juicy to drink, there's a hint of smoke and flint on the finish.
Sacred Hill Brokenstone 2013 $49
I first tasted this wine back in 1998 and was instantly seduced.
Back then the wine was made form vineyards out in the Dartmoor Valley behind Taradale in Napier, vineyards which had a hard time battling nature and pests, hence why the team at sacred hill nicknamed it the 'stoney broke'.
Nowadays its grown in the famous Gimblett Gravels and hands down this is one of my favourite merlots in the country.
You won't see it on your average supermarket shelf because they only produce a small amount in years when the fruit is exceptional, and boy was 2013 exceptional.
It smells like venison dusted in cocoa powder and chargrilled over branches of lush, native trees.
Leather, mocha notes, silky yet streamlined tannins and incredible length of flavour.
Masculine yet elegant - like Rudolf Nureyev in a glass.
Watch the video for the full segment.
