Mount Riley Wines

Pinot Noir from Marlborough is on the rise in a big way. We are constantly impressed by the pinosity of the region and here it is in spades. Mt Riley are a small family business making a big noise in Marlborough and their wines are reassuringly finessed. Make sure there’s something savoury on the menu to match this cherry-laden bliss bomb. It’s full of dark fruits with spicy earth aromas before unleashing understated elegance on the palate due to soft tannins, ripe fruit and intense length.

The life of Riley looks like an enviable one. Making wine surrounded by the Richmond ranges in the Wairau Valley, this is where the legacy of kiwi Savvy was born. It’s the heart of Marlborough and who’d have known back in the 80s that this grape was going to be such a hit both in terms of popularity and flavour. It’s got that regional flavour of capsicum and dried herb as well as a core of citrus before a juicy and well-balanced palate that ends clean, crisp and moreish.

We are going on a Gris hunt, we’re looking for a good one. Oh looks like we found it. Thanks to the winemaking nous of Mount Riley we’ve located an aromatic white that makes an alternative to Sauvignon Blanc. All of Marlborough’s charms are on show here thanks to grapes picked in the Wairau Valley creating a wine that’s perfumed and textured. Textbook Gris with abundant apple and pear flavours, as well as a slight honeyed complexity, before a mouth-filling and rich palate. It’s an elegant Gris that would shine even more with food.

Colour: Mid-red with garnet and ruby hues. Bouquet: Dark cherry and red berry fruit aromas are supported by hints of spice and earthiness. Palate: An approachable, elegant wine with soft tannins, delicious ripe red fruit flavours and concentration. Drink: Drinking well now and up to 2015. Great as an aperitif or with chicken, salmon, game, red meat and pasta.

Colour: Pale straw. Bouquet: Poached pear, quince and apple crumble aromas are supported by perfumed floral, spice & honeysuckle characters. Palate: The wine is just off-dry with ripe fruit flavours and rich texture. A complex and elegant wine. Drink: Drinking well now, this wine can be enjoyed late until 2013. Great with white meat, veal, Asian food and cheeses and dried fruits for dessert.

Colour: Pale straw. Bouquet: Complex characters of Nashi Pear, rose petal, spices and fresh almonds. Palate: The wine is just off-dry with ripe fruit flavours and rich texture. A complex and elegant wine. Drink: Drinking well now, this wine can be enjoyed until late 2015. Great with white meat, veal, Asian food, and cheeses and dried fruits for dessert.

Colour: Pale straw with green hues. Bouquet: Undisputedly Marlborough in origin, our 2010 Sauvignon Blanc has distinct aroma's of crushed herb, nettle, capsicum and citrus fruits. Palate: Juicy and well balanced with a multitude of flavours combining to create a wine of complexity, great intensity, refreshing acidity and a lingering finish. Drink: Drinking well now, this wine can be enjoyed late until 2012. Great as an aperitif or match with seafood, light meats, pasta, salads or Asian cuisine.

The Buchanan family are doing extraordinarily well with this decently priced Marlborough sauvignon. The previous vintage blitzed the judges at the Perth Show and this is close to that in quality terms. It is gently aromatic, juicy and vibrant with restrained yet pure fruit flavours - tropical notes, gooseberries and passionfruit - before a crisp, clean finish. Imported by Angove's.

Light to medium yellow-green; an intense, classic Marlborough fruit profile, with a mix of capsicum, redcurrant and gooseberry aromas; the palate is similarly fresh and pure, with all of the flavours promised by the bouquet. A wine which has weight, length and good acidity.

Piercing varietal aromas meet the nose: there's a grassy, green pea zip and some pine-passionfruit characters. It tastes of green fruit - tangy and wild - with a touch of juicy fruit-sweetness and a crisp finish. Serve it with a lightly dressed salad of green leaves with asparagus and shaved parmigiano.

Light yellow-green; the bouquet is light and crisp with grassy herbal fruit and little oak evident. The palate has nice flavour and feel, with a mix of honey, mead and more citrussy flavours. Unconventional, perhaps, but worth the effort.

Youthful, dense purple-red; the bouquet is solid with a mix of blackberry and blackcurrant fruit, the oak being surprisingly subtle. Full of fresh, lively fruit on the palate; very much in the style of the early release Rosemount Estate red wines.

Light yellow-green; the bouquet is fresh and crisp, with light citrussy fruit and even a touch of mineral. The palate follows down the same track, fresh, light and uncomplicated, but with enough there to satisfy.

Light green-yellow; the intense bouquet is flooded with lime juice aromas which underpin but do not over-weight the stylish, elegant palate. The crisp, firm finish provides the balance needed.

Light green-yellow; the bouquet is of light to medium intensity, clean and crisp, minerally and just a hint of citrus. Much the same things happen on the palate, although it does build intensity towards the back palate, which in turn invests the wine with good length.

A bright, green-tinged colour looks the goods here, and the nose has archetypal regional/varietal character. There's a grapey, clean aroma with hints of green fruits, citrus and minerals. In the mouth it has moderate intensity of tangy flavour with good length and a clean, relatively soft finish. A crisp young sauvignon to accompany the freshest shellfish.

Plenty of smooth tropical fruits here and a little banana skin too; this is fresh and attractive with nice, direct, clean appeal. The palate has a smooth and even shape, with citrus and mango skin flavour and gentle river pebble, stony nuances. Finishes even and smooth.

Ruby-hued red with cherryish, plummy, slightly herbal flavours. Easy-drinking style, with some weight and structure.