Martinborough Wine District - More Than Pinot Noir!

Without a doubt the signature varietal of Martinborough is Pinot Noir, ranging from good to very good and sometimes, to sublime. But the region has a long history in quite a few other varietals, some perhaps surprising.

Early vine plantings were experimental, the first being the 8 hectares planted by Alistair Taylor of ‘Little Red Schoolbook’ fame, in Chenin Blanc, Gewurztraminer, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon in the late 70s. These didn’t survive, although his property at the end of Puruatanga Road eventually re-emerged as Te Kairanga. Dry River was planted in 1979, closely followed by Chifney Wines, Ata Rangi and Martinborough Vineyard.

The first plantings at Dry River were Pinot Gris, Sauvignon Blanc and Gewurztraminer, and Dry River’s early reputation was not built on Pinot Noir but on distinctively dry long-cellaring whites. Founder Neil McCallum’s first love was Riesling, and it was only later that he planted Pinot Noir, as well as Syrah and his beloved Riesling. 

Today, alongside the sterling reputation of Dry River Pinot Noir ranks the Alsatian white wine trilogy of Pinot Gris, Gewurztraminer and Riesling, serious wines built for aging. The Lovat Gewurztraminer has received consistently strong reviews for its complexity and age-ability and is described by Bob Campbell as “one of a handful of truly great examples of New Zealand Gewurztraminer”.  

I typically cellar my purchases of this wine for a decade or more and for the last bottle I drank – a 2013, I wrote “aromas of Turkish delight, lychee, pineapple and ginger, a beautifully rich and silky palate with a panoply of exotic fruits and spices, notably lychee, mango and pineapple in rosewater with star anise, clove and ginger and a really lingering finish”. The current 2023 release (from a challenging vintage) was scored 96 by MW Stephen Wong.

Two thirds of the vines Stan Chifney planted were the red Bordeaux varieties Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. The rest was Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay and Gewurztraminer. The 1984 Chenin Blanc was his first wine, but Stan’s great love was Cabernet and his 1985 Cabernet Sauvignon won a gold medal in 1986. Despite the similarity of the Martinborough gravels to Bordeaux soils, Cabernet Sauvignon sadly has not proved well suited to the climate and ripens adequately only in exceptional years. When Margrain purchased the Chifney vineyard and winery in 2001, the Cabernet Sauvignon vines were top grafted to Pinot Noir. But the Chenin Blanc lives on, with the original vines now over 40 years old, the source for a distinctive Margrain Old Vine Chenin Blanc alongside two other expressions – a Cut Cane dessert wine and a Classic off-dry style. The 2018 release of the Old Vine Chenin Blanc is rich and full of green apple, lime, and ginger nut flavours with crisp acidity offset by a gentle sweetness, a great long-term cellaring prospect.

Clive Paton’s Home Block plantings at Atarangi included Pinot Noir, Merlot, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. Syrah, Gewurtraminer, Pinot Gris and Riesling were all subsequently planted. The 1986 Pinot Noir won gold and Ata Rangi’s Pinot Noirs have been acclaimed ever since, but my favourite from those early days was Celebre, then a Rhone meets Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. The 1988, 89 and 90 Celebres all won major awards. Despite the ripening challenge for Cabernet Sauvignon, it survived in the blend for a long time, but in recent years has been supplanted by small amounts of Malbec and Cabernet Franc. The current release 2022 Celebre has delightfully lifted aromas of pot pourri and red berries, a rich and concentrated palate of dark plum, dried raspberries, olive and peppery spice, supported by fresh acidity, firm but fine tannins and a lingering detailed finish. It will improve in the cellar for many years.

Hard on the heels of the first Martinborough pioneers was Palliser Estate. Wyatt Creech was an original partner in Martinborough Vineyard, but he owned a large plot of high-potential land on the Martinborough Terrace and in 1984 formed the Om Santi partnership which in 1987 became Palliser Estate. The earliest vines were Pinot Noir and Chardonnay but then Sauvignon Blanc was planted to balance the range. The 1991 Sauvignon Blanc made by Allan Johnstone won gold in 1991 and has arguably since then become the benchmark for the distinctively different Martinborough style of this variety. Most consumers of NZ wine whether national or international know Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, but Martinborough Sauvignon Blanc is different. Martinborough has warmer nights than Marlborough and this results in a softer acidity and a bit more tropical fruit flavour. Marlborough SB has a fresher acidity which is often offset by a little residual sugar whereas in Martinborough the wines are drier, and often have an underlying mineral, wet stone character leading to a more textural expression. Martinborough SB is also typically more subtle aromatically, lacking that “punch in the face” aromatic intensity of thiols and pyrazines characteristic of Marlborough. In addition to the Palliser Estate labelled Sauvignon Blanc there is a Pencarrow labelled Sauvignon Blanc from the vineyard opposite the golf course which also scores consistently well – sometimes higher than the Estate wine as for the 2021 vintage when Decanter scored it 95, ahead of the Estate. The 2024 Palliser Estate Sauvignon Blanc is pale lemon, with aromas of cut grass, melon, passion fruit and white peach with a distinct note of gunflint. On the plate it is dry and textured with an initial hit of white peach followed by mouth-tingling lime citrus, and a long juicy finish.

Near neighbour to Palliser, Nga Waka Estate, was founded in 1986 by retired diplomat Roger Parkinson. The Home Block was originally planted in 1988 and Roger’s first wine, a Sauvignon Blanc made in 1993 instantly won Gold. Today there are seven vineyards around Martinborough producing mostly Pinot Noir and Chardonnay with small amounts of Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling. The Pinot Noirs are consistently good and both the Nga Waka Estate Pinot Noir and the Lease Block Pinot Noir scored in the top five 2020 NZ Pinot Noirs in Cuisine magazine. But Nga Waka has some of the most extensive Chardonnay plantings in the region and the Home Block Chardonnay is a perennial favourite. Replanted in 2018/19, all the prized Mendoza clone, the wine typically sees a bit more new oak than the Nga Waka Estate Chardonnay and goes through a partial or full malolactic conversion. The 2023 current release is delicious, golden lemon in the glass with aromas of grapefruit, apple, spice and a whiff of smokey oak. On the palate rich and creamy stonefruit,  lemon curd and cashew flavours are beautifully underpinned by a distinct but soft acidity and satisfyingly long and complex finish.

Out on Dry River Road is the popular vineyard winery and café Coney, established in the 1990s, planted in Pinot Noir, Riesling, Pinot Gris and Syrah. The Coney label reflects the family’s love of music with a treble clef logo, and this is also reflected in the naming of the wines including two popular Rieslings in contrasting styles: Rallentando a richer full-bodied but drier style that ages well, and the slightly sweeter and more honeyed Ragtime. A third Riesling label, the Ritz, is a little reminiscent of a Spatlese, with only 9% alcohol, a bit of CO2 spritz and a honeyed sweetness underpinning the lime and nectarine palate - this is the ideal lunchtime wine for drivers and would also complement a spicy Thai salad perfectly.

Back in town, on the corner of Huangarua and Cambridge Roads, an easy 10 minutes’ walk from the Square, is Schubert Wines. Established by German winemakers Kai Schubert and his partner Marion Deimling after a global search for the perfect Pinot Noir terroir, they have been producing delicious Pinot Noir since the early 2000s along with Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, an unusual blend of Muller Thurgau, Chardonnay & Pinot Gris called Tribianco and a very good Syrah which “critics have rated as the best available among Wairarapa wines” according to Winesearcher. In a Winefolio Top 10 NZ Syrah Tasting, the 2020 Schubert Syrah rated No 5, and the 2019 was awarded 95 points by Decanter, and one of NZ’s top 6 Syrahs. The 2021 vintage is dense ruby-purple in the glass with aromas of blackberry, dark cherry and white pepper spice, and a distinctly savoury note of cured meats and olive tapenade. The palate is firmly structured with fresh acidity and chalky tannins, supporting rich black cherry, blackberry and smokey meat flavours, and finishing with a note of dark chocolate. Definitely built for the long haul.

In this random sprinkle of anecdotal examples we surely cannot neglect Escarpment out on Te Muna Road. Established by Mr Pinot Noir himself - Larry McKenna, and famous for its Pinot Noir SV tetralogy, led by Kupe, followed by Te Rehua, Pahi and Kiwa. Escarpment has – well not quite a secret, but a wine that definitely deserves to be better known, one of NZ’s rare single varietal Pinot Blancs. Nowadays Larry is officially retired (but apparently could not resist a new project!), the very capable Tim Bourne has taken over the winemaking and the whole business is part of the Australian wine company, Torbreck. Escarpment boasts a brand new and rather swish winery and tasting room, and while surveying the Pinot Noirs is de rigeur, the Pinot Blanc deserves your full attention, as it is quite rare in New Zealand and this is the only example I know in the Wairarapa. Made with a nod to Alsace, the grapes are typically whole bunch pressed and fermented in old French oak. I tasted the 2024 a couple of months ago, pale straw in the glass, it had aromas of white peach and yellow flowers with a hint of spice. The palate had a lovely acid spine with citrus zest and a soft minerality with a nice textural mouthfeel and medium length.

I hope these necessarily selective anecdotes support my case to you that Martinborough is more than Pinot Noir. And of course, you will find excellent examples of the varietals I have represented elsewhere in Martinborough. Fine Syrah is also produced by Kusuda (if you can get it!), Martinborough Vineyard, Dry River and Ata Rangi, among others. Poppies Gewurztraminer is a must try! There’s outstanding Chardonnay to be had at Ata Rangi, Palliser Estate, Dry River, Te Kairanga; Riesling at Poppies, Palliser, Nga Waka, Dry River and let’s not omit the stunning Kusuda Trockenbeerenauslese! I barely mentioned Pinot Gris, but if it’s not everywhere, then almost - try Escarpment, Dry River, Luna, Ata Rangi, Coney. Sauvignon Blanc is similarly ubiquitous. Chenin Blanc is also coming in 2026 from Nga Waka along with a Gamay. Margrain has a Gruner Veltliner, Moy Hall a Viognier and Groves even has a St Laurent! If you want to explore natural and skin contact wines then Cambridge Road is full immersion or just dip your toe in the water with Big Sky’s Amber Sauvignon Blanc. There is no question that Martinborough’s reputation is built on incredible Pinot Noir but there is an embarrassment of riches in other varietals to suit every palate! For a tiny region responsible for perhaps 1% of NZ’s total wine production we are blessed indeed with both quality and variety!