The Francois Crochet wines are currently in stock at Marquis Wine Cellars.

"A delicate pink grapefruit colour in the glass, this 100% Pinot Noir based wine displays lovely freshness and elegance on both the nose and palate. Hints of tart red fruits peak out of the glass. This wine has lively acidity that keeps the power of the Pinot Noir in check. Straightforward and simple, yet deliciously persistent, this wine should be enjoyed over the coming year."

"This textbook Sancerre displays a beautiful balance of fruit and minerality. Both the nose and the palate share hints of ripe honeydew melon and citrus fruits. This a bright and sharp wine that has a beautiful mineral tension on the finish. Enjoy on its own or with the famous Crottin de Chavignol."

"This wine is similar in style to the Domaine Cuvée but it has more personality and depth. This is thanks to the small white stones that litter the vineyard floor which absorbs heat during the day and releases it slowly during the night. This makes the grapes that much riper. This is a heady, aromatic wine that display ripe citrus fruits and a chalky, mineral core on the nose. There is plenty of substance and richness on the core but this is tempered by the vibrant acid core. This is everything you want a Sancerre to be; precise, refreshing and powerful. A beautiful wine coming from some of the best terroir in all of Sancerre."

"100% Pinot Noir with a deep red garnet colour. This wine has an intense, direct bouquet of jammy red fruits, prunes and hints of toast. The palate is generous with blood orange, dark cherry and dark chocolate a hint of sous-bois. With soft tannins this is a nicely polished and richly endowed Pinot Noir that will benefit from a couple of years in the cellar but you not be amiss to enjoy a bottle or two now."

Francois Crochet's father and grandfather were winemakers and in 1998 he took over the family winery located in the commune of Bué, just outside the town of Sancerre proper. Francois was formally schooled at the Lycée Viticole in Beaune after which he worked for several estates in France and abroad to gain practical experience. Francois currently has a total of 10.5 hectares of vines divided into thirty plots spread around the communes of Bue, Sancerre, Crezancy and Thauvenay. Francois works his soils by "lutte raisonnée" which means that he leaves half the vineyard rows covered in grass and the other half are worked by plow. Francois and his wife, Carine, recently completed the construction of a brand new cellar, complete with temperature controlled stainless steel vats and 5000L oak vats for fermentation. As a young winemaker, Francois is currently making some of the best wines coming out of Sancerre today.

The Kumeu River wines are not yet in stock at Marquis Wine Cellars, but pre-orders can be placed through this e-offering.

"The 2009 Village Chardonnay gives delicate aromas of fresh peaches, baking bread and orange blossom with a hint of crushed stones. Medium bodied with a good amount of ripe apple and yeasty flavors, it has refreshing acidity, a gentle creaminess to the texture and a long finish. Drink it now through 2014."

"Kumeu River Chardonnay is drawn from six different vineyard sites in the Kumeu Region. We are particularly careful in selecting only the very best grapes from these vineyards for our Kumeu River Estate label. The Estate Chardonnay from this vintage is ripe, rich, and beautifully concentrated. The beautiful peach and hazelnut aromas along with the rich silky texture are distinct characteristics that we expect to see from this wine."

"The 2011 Pinot Gris puts forward a nose of apple cores, freshly sliced pears and mace with just a whiff of white pepper. Medium-bodied and showing a good amount of straightforward apple and pear flavors, it is lifted by crisp acidity as it finishes with good persistence. Drink it now to 2015."

"Wow - the 2011 Hunting Hill Chardonnay shows off an incredible nose of exotic fruits, spices and savories including mango, guava, pineapple paste and yeast extract over touches of brioche, cashews, fresh ginger, cinnamon toast and coriander seed with a whiff of honeysuckle. Medium to full-bodied, rich and seductive in the mouth, this Chardonnay is one for the hedonists as it offers an array of tropical fruit and spice flavors balanced by racy acidity and a finish with great length. Drink it now to 2021+."

Kumeu River Wines is one the elder statesmen of New Zealand viticulture, formed in 1944 by Mick and Katé Brajkovich, having migrated from Yugoslavia in 1938. They worked in agronomy, eventually saving enough money to purchase their own small vineyard at Kumeu, located northwest of Auckland City. Mick passed away in 1949, but Katé and the their son Maté continued and successfully established "San Marino Vineyards", which made dry red table wines from hybrid grape varieties, rather than the fortified wines that were prevalent at that time. Maté married Melba Sutich who bore four children: Michael, Marijana, Milan and Paul who all lent a viticultural hand. The estate consists of ten vineyards all in Kumeu, all using high-quality clones. They grow half their fruit, the other half is brought in from quality growers who specialize in Chardonnay. Vines are trained on the "Lyre" trellis-system, which maximizes the grapes exposure to sunlight and enhances ripeness. Harvest is by hand, where unsatisfactory berries are discarded before they enter the winery. White grapes are pressed whole and fermented in French oak barrels whilst the reds are destemmed and crushed gently before being transferred into stainless-steel fermentation tanks and then oak barrels using natural yeasts, of which twelve different strains have been identified in the vineyards. The wines undergo a 100% malolactic fermentation and winemaker Micahel Brajokovich likes to use an austere barrel that does not impart too much of a smoky taste to the wine. After 9 or 10 months maturation, the wine is fined and filtered before bottling.