2022 Dry River Martinborough Pinot Noir
Grape
Pinot Noir
Its Origins
Dry River took its simple but evocative name from an historic sheep station that used to exist a few kilometres away on the dry, wandering river plains between Martinborough and lake Wairarapa. Planted by the visionary Neil and Dawn McCallum in 1979 - a good few years ahead of ‘old hand’ Alan Limmer in Gimblett Gravels - Dry River were not only ahead of the curve but can these days speak meaningfully about the old vine presence and impact on the estate’s production. With an approach and culture that feels quite European, Dry River are interested in sustainability and minimal intervention - especially in the winery - but always with a reasoned eye for what is pragmatic and particular to their terroir. Eschewing the Kiwi obsession with varietal flavour-making and wines to drink now, Dry River focus their impressive resources on the simple but complex task of producing and preserving true physiological ripeness, in this way making wines of extreme quality and balance that are often approachable young but reach their true expression after some years in cellar.
What The Critics Say
94+/100 RobertParker.com, Erin Larkin
"The 2022 Pinot Noir leads with coffee grounds, black cherry, satsuma plum skin, Szechuan peppercorn, pink peppercorns, a hint of raspberry leaf tea and graphite. The wine smells savory while delivering all of these things. In the mouth, it is fine-boned but persistent and behaves in a gentle, splayed sort of manner through the finish. It's a very pretty wine, one that is quiet now, but I feel it will age slowly and elegantly in the cellar. This is a wine to drink now and to perhaps misunderstand in doing so. Or it's a wine to be patient with and reap the benefits after five or so years and beyond. I love the wine here, today, but I'd be cautious to recommend drinking your bottles too early—consider from 2027. 13% alcohol, sealed under Diam. 2022 was a transition vintage. Wilco Lam left in October 2022 just prior to the sale of the business, and so the wines were in barrel and mostly fermented but unfinished. The wines were then finished by winemaker Ben McNab in the same manner they would have been had Wilco still been there." Drink 2023 - 2037
93/100 Bob Campbell MW
"Herbal, high energy pinot noir with cherry, hedgerow, pepper/spice, and grape stem characters. Youthful wine that would benefit from bottle age. Quite complex with layers of floral, fruit and savoury flavours. 02 JAN 2024." Drink 2024 – 2030
| Variety | Pinot Noir |
|---|---|
| Region | Martinborough |
| Closure | Cork |
| Volume | 750ml |
| Alcohol | 13.00% |
| Maturity | 2023 - 2037 |
This Wine Goes Well With
Taste
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If for any reason you are not entirely happy with your order or you suspect that they may be affected by a quality issue, please do not hesitate to contact us and we will remedy the problem straight away. Contact us on 0800 422 767.
