ON THE ROAD | Christina Kaigg-Hoxley in Martinborough
Earlier this month, our Head of Wine Operations at the nascent Melbourne Club hopped across the water to New Zealand, where she discovered a newfound enthusiasm for the aromatic varieties produced by small-scale producers in the bijou region of Martinborough
After collecting your luggage at Wellington airport, it takes just over an hour to get out into the vineyards of Martinborough, in the south-eastern corner of New Zealand's north island. Nestled within the wider region of Wairarapa, and home to such established names as Ata Rangi and Dry River, Martinborough is not to be confused with the higher profile Marlborough, just across the water at the northern tip of the South Island. In fact, the two couldn’t be more different…
While Marlborough’s success with Sauvignon Blanc means it is responsible for a whopping 72% of New Zealand's vineyard area, Martinborough accounts for just 3%. On the flipside, while Marlborough is sometimes seen as resolutely commercial, Martinborough benefits from a quality, artisanal reputation – particularly in regards to its Pinot Noir.
Unlike Marlborough’s championing of ‘Savvy B’, Martinborough producers have yet to hang their hat on a single white variety, preferring to present a range of aromatic styles based on individual preference. It is its Pinot, however, that has elevated Martinborough’s renown beyond its size, via a consistently silty, savoury quality and a more restrained profile than the more generous, muscular, riper fruit spectrum of the Central Otago expressions in the south. The latter (which yields 5% of New Zealand’s total crush) boasts a range of sub-regions, from the marginal climate and elevated sites of Gibbston Valley, to the sunny plains in Bannockburn and Queensberry, while most Martinborough vineyards are planted side by side to one another, on the same soils, with similar exposures to the elements – as we soon see…
I’m here with a group of trade professionals from all over Australia – sommeliers, retailers and buyers – courtesy of Saint Wine, an Australian distributor specialising in New Zealand and US wine imports. As we follow the Ruamāhanga River through a series of valleys, and emerge from the Tararua Ranges into Wairarapa, we come into Martinborough itself. Protected from harsh winds by the surrounding mountain ranges, with vineyards planted side by side on the old river plain, producers here share a terroir of river gravels and clay – and, consequently, many of the same pressures during vintage.
Wairarapa was the first place Pinot was ever planted in New Zealand, in the 1880s. But it wasn’t for another century that local soil scientist Derek Milne identified a large number of sites as having distinct similarities to parts of Burgundy. Enthusiasm for the variety burgeoned, with producers in turn embarking on broader plantings, via a particular focus on aromatic varieties – notably Pinot Gris and Riesling – inspired by the wines of Alsace.
It’s clear that Martinborough wineries enjoy considerable support from tourists as well as locals – there are over 20 cellar doors in the region. We pass the well-established Dry River, whose pioneering efforts paved the way for the rise of several smaller names, all within a short walk of each other.
Poppy and Shayne Hammond of Poppies produce approximately 90 tonnes of grapes across 14 varieties, with a notable penchant for Alsatian styles. The couple make Pinot Gris from an historic clone called the Mission Clone, originally from Alto Adige, brought into the area in the late 1800s and deemed by many as unviable due to its small bunch size and low yields. It appears to be worth the extra work, however, with the 2024 brimming with musky spice, green pineapple and bosc pear notes alongside an indulgent whack of residual sugar. Their 2024 Pinot Noir, meanwhile, serves as a great introduction to the region, with a core of red and black cherry surrounded by an intensely savoury palate of mocha, bramble and dried leaves.
Around the corner, Wilco Lam is the Dutchman behind a new label, Oraterra, meaning ‘golden earth'. First arriving in New Zealand – via several years in Australia – in 2003, Wilco worked at Dry River until its sale in 2022. The following year, he produced his first vintage of Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from regeneratively farmed organic and biodynamic grapes. It's early days, but his wines are more than worthy of attention, the Chardonnay laden with lemon zest, white nectarine and a lovely salinity leading a moreish, nougat-driven palate.
The region does experience distinctive vintage variation, but generally sees a cool, dry climate with a long ripening season and some coastal influences. Major viticultural hazards include mildew and botrytis in cooler years, as well as the plethora of birdlife here. Most vineyards are dry-farmed, so warmer, dry years can also provide their own challenges, as well as the phylloxera that has plagued the region for decades.
2023, for example, was a challenging, cold and wet vintage with ample disease pressure across a long ripening period. Given the conditions, the wines are showing exceptionally well, with the best Pinots exhibiting a lifted perfume, taut, ripe red fruit and excellent potential for ageing. The current release for most producers, 2024, is being lauded as one of the best the region has seen this century; a vintage of comparative ease that shows ample generosity and is easy to love.
If there was a common thread to the Pinots we saw, it would be the nature of the tannins. While the fruit profile traditionally leans darker, Martinborough Pinot seems to show a consistent silty, almost cocoa-powder like texture, which was evident regardless of clone, oak, whole-bunch use and vintage.
Don and Valerie McConachy of Devotus are a husband-and-wife team farming three hectares of dry-grown Pinot Noir next door to Dry River. Their love of the variety is harnessed in three renderings across six clones on a single block, all sold through an en-primeur style mailing list each year. Such local demand explains why so few of the wines from these small Martinborough producers make it far beyond their own environs. All the more reason to seek them out when you get chance…
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