Dry River Pinot Noir

The world famous Dry River are one of the pioneers of the New Zealand wine scene and quite rightly sit at the big boys table of New Zealand fine wine names.

Named after a historic sheep station a few kilometres down the road, Dry River was established in 1979 by visionaries Doctor Neil and Dawn McCallum. These guys were well ahead of the game when they planted their first vines on what is now known as the Martinborough Terraces. It’s a site known for its free draining gravels, cool maritime climate and (thanks to a bit of inside info from soil scientist and friend Dr Derek Milne) a 30 year record for the lowest rainfall in the North Island.

In 2003, Neil sold the winery to seriously wealthy Wall Street billionaire hedge fund manager and philanthropist Julian Robertson (according to Neil, ‘the guy who invented the hedge fund’ and one of the world’s super rich!). The aim remains the same though – to produce world class wines that age beautifully.

We’re super stoked to be able to land some extremely limited stocks of their 2021 Dry River Pinot Noir.

Scoring an incredible 98/100 and a Top Rank Award from Master of Wine Bob Campbell. That’s 11 of the last 13 vintages scoring 95/100 or higher, impressive or what!

Bob said “Intense, dense pinot noir with cassis, black cherry, blackcurrant, liquorice and classy oak characters with a drop-dead gorgeous silken texture. Very impressive wine indeed. A very small yield which partly explains the concentration. Gently handled with a small amount of whole-bunch and light pump-overs to avoid over-extraction. Unfined and unfiltered.”

One of New Zealand’s finest Pinot Noirs, without a doubt. All bottles individually numbered, drink now to 2040.