3 Days in the Wairarapa - wine tastings
So long as there’s great music to listen to or sing along to (I’m up for both) a roadie anywhere in New Zealand can be huge fun. Recently, Janet, Francois and I travelled to the Wairarapa and included wine tastings at Le Gra, Palliser Estate, Run Holder, Oraterra, Gladstone wines and Grava.
Hospitality in the Wairarapa was outstanding and one of the more interesting dinners at Tirohana Estate created some fun memories.
Below are the wines tasted
________________________________________________________________________________________
Wairarapa Wine tastings – February 7th – 2026.
Johner Lime Hill Chardonnay 2023 – Ripe and fruity, varietal with a mineral and textured bouquet (perhaps some solids), layers of spice and clay, hint of banana, vanilla and raw cashew. Full-bodied, dry, satin-cream, persistent and well made. 93 Points. Delicious. RRP from $50.00
Urlar SB 2025, Vegan, Organic – Varietal, ripe, fresh and new. A taut, dry wine with a mix of fresh cape gooseberry and fruit spice, bright, fresh and lively with a core of acidity and golden kiwifruit, citrus and cape gooseberry. Crisp and dry, balanced, even and well made. Not loud. 93 Points. RRP from $30.00
Urlar ‘off-shoot’ Pinot Noir 2024 (unlabelled). Pure fruited, ripe and fresh, Scents and flavours of new and vibrant red berries, some plums and dark cherry, there’s a line of black currant and smoky earth qualities, touch of barrel. Delicious, youthful and dry, a wine to drink from day of purchase through 2031. VG and well made. 92 Points.
Bijou Estate Blanc de Bijou 2022 PG 70% 30% Gewurztraminer. Very bright with a pale golden hue, plus some yellow. Fragrant and generous with a golden apple and green pear bouquet, plenty of natural spice from the gewurztraminer (& gris). Medium+ weight and intensity with equal acid line and length. Flavours mirror the nose and repeat. Sound and ready. 90 Points RRP from $20.00
Bijou Estate Double Ridges Pinot Gris Sur-lie 2013 (Up to 9 months sur-lie). RRP from $20.00. A modern wine style with a balanced bouquet and palate of yellow apple and spice, plenty of lees and a layer of ginger, holding onto acidity well. Bright and refreshing overall, medium+ weight and moderate length. An interesting wine overall. 91 Points. Made by Karl Johner since 2005.
Bijou Estate 2025 Pinot Gris, clean skin sample. Youthful, bright, varietal and fresh with a bouquet and palate of spiced red and yellow apple, a touch of quince then pear. A honeysuckle seam, medium acid line and length, clean, bright and refreshing with a persistent finish. Well made. Released in late 2026. RRP from $20.00
Bijou Estate Gewurztraminer 2025 – deep gold, lots of intensity and talc spice drive. White fleshed fruits, stewed apple and cinnamon. Firm with some pretty intense phenolics and bitterness. Short finish. 86 Points
Bijou Estate Viognier 2025. Varietal, delicate floral then white apricot and peach, a touch of spice and herb, some pressings perhaps (no oak) and lees. Dry, satin touch with flavours of stone fruits and spice, even a touch of herb. Great balance and length. Ready from early 2027 through 2030. 93 Points VG
Bijou Estate 2025 Dessert Wine, made with Pinot Gris LH. Bright, liquid cream texture with a bold acid line and core of sweet crunchy apples and fruit spice. Salivating and fresh, saline and persistently fruity. Quite lengthy and well made. Drink now, a lovely dessert wine and dessert wine offering. 91 Points.
Bijou Estate Merlot Rose 2024 ‘Tuppenny’ (named after a family fox terrier Alex remembers as a child). Aromas and flavours of plums and blackcurrant, some boysenberry and red fruits. Textured with fruit tannins and some lees layers, touch of spice. Medium+ acid line and length. Well made. I like it because of its natural
Nga Pari 2022 (the Cliffs) Chardonnay (Daikin’s Road) planted 2002 by the Cottier Family, PN and CH – 4 clones 1 Ha; WM John McNab form Fairmont Estate. Hand Harvested, 20% new French + tank with beads. Very bright and new – there’s a natural mineral quality perhaps a little masked by the new wood (I don’t think it needs that much). A lovely natural quality with white fleshed fruits, citrus and a gentle sweetness from the wood. The time on lees before filtering and bottling. A magic wine this could be. 93 Points+. (Fine lees for 10 months, could be wild ferment).
Nga Pari Blanc de Blanc 2022 (100% Chardonnay) MT 20 months on lees, finished by Sojourn Wines. Lovely bouquet driven by autolysis and citrus fruits, there’s a mineral quality too – almost saline like. Dry and creamy with a lovely mousse softness and contrasting acid line. Well made, lengthy and ready. RRP from $49.00 93 Points
Matahiwi Brut Rose NV. Aromas and flavours of fresh cherries and yellow plums, there’s a raspberry and red apple skin idea then a fine lees quality. Crisp and dry, balanced and well made, saline and persistent. Delicious. 93 Points.
Matahiwi Wild Holly 2024 Pinot Noir. Great bouquet, not entirely unexpected) bright and intense, ripe and enticing with layers of dried herb and red berry fruits, boysenberry and dark roses. Dry, a wine of texture and intensity, youthful power and balance. Plenty of time to age this wine in your cellar. Best from 2028/2029 through 2036. Looking forward to trying this wine again in 12-24 months. 93 Points+
Johner Gladstone Pinot Noir 2024. A lovely bouquet, earthy and mineral, some Brett? Plums and berries, dried spice, cedar and vanilla, some smoky barrel layers, dried meat and earth-smoke. An abundance of fine tannins, medium+ ish acid line. A wine of texture and intensity, earthy themes and red berry fruit flavours. Best from day of purchase through 2030. 92 Points.
Nga Pari Pinot Noir 2021. A lovely wine with a core of complexity, clones offer layers of origin and style, a complex wine with depth and finesse, mineral, almost incredible. A great style and expression. red berries, plums, baking spices and smoke. Earth smoke. Oak - VVG
Palliser Estate Tasting – Hosted by Belen (Sommelier)
The Griffin 2022 MT, It is always a good idea to taste wines on site. The Griffin has a powerful freshness with a definitive autolysis woven through a seam of citrus and pomaceous fruits, white peach, quite salty and very fresh. Salivating and dry, persistent flavours, dry and length with an autolysis finish. Delicious (still) 95 Points
Rose MT 2022. There’s a lovely complexity and definitive style – Belen suggest rhubarb – and I agree, but first there’s roses and pomegranate then rose and autolysis. Taut, crisp and dry with light red berry fruits and lemon. Golden peach and red apple, saline, mealy, chalky and dry. Well made and rather delicious. 94 Points
Rose 2025 – 100% PN fruit. A bouquet of wildflowers and light red berry fruits. Smells of summer. A satin smooth touch on the palate with a fine leesy seam then as the wine opens out the palate the fruit becomes apparent with strawberry and plum. Dry, balanced and well made. Good drinking now and through 2032. 93 Points
The Bewildered Rabbit (from the Om Santi) 100% Pinot Gris 2025. Varietal with lots of spice and echoes of barrel ferment creaminess leads to a palate of apples and wild lager yeast qualities, preserved pears and mineral of stone and sand. Dry and leesy, a whisper of cider apple then pear and quince. Well made. RRP form $38.00 Cellar door only.
Palliser Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2025. Varietal with lots of fresh and vibrant fruits, a mix of citrus and tropical the cape gooseberry and white spice then angelica. Dry with a whisper of RS (2.2) 10% of the juice in old barrel. adds some weight, yet this is a lightweight wine. Tropical and fresh, citrus and cape gooseberry, feijoa skin. Delicious and fresh, ready. 92 Points.
Palliser Estate Chardonnay 2024. Bright, fresh and youthful with a seam of oak just before the scents of stone fruits and red apple, fresh figs and a moment of grape fruit. Dry, taut Ans still new with flavours that mirror the bouquet and repeat. Medium+ acid line, satin-cream mouthfeel, delicious mouthfeel and long finish. Well made, balanced and ready. Best from 2026 through 2030+.
Om Santi Chardonnay 2024. Complex, taut and youthful, the palate squeeze delivers a definitive acid line and reveals the tension from the youngest oak used, layers of gun-flint and spice from the use of cloudy juice (WB press to barrel). Fleshy and juicy moments, lots of acid tautness and length, complex and well made. Will be amazing. 95 Points.
Palliser Estate Pinot Noir 2023. Cherry fruits and dark strawberry, clay and red stone, silty seams of top soils and wind blown air scents. Taut, ripe and fresh, dark berries and boysenberry, firm yet polished tannins add texture and length, medium++ acid line. Great red berry flavours, new and taut, well made. Young. 93 Points, best from 2027.
Hua Nui PN 2024. Ripe and taut, there’s a big palate squeeze with spices from fruit and lees, barrels and smoky earthy wood combinations. Dark berries, earth-smoke of clay/stone and soils, boysenberry and plums, macerated cherry. Excellent mouthfeel and length, intrigue and style. A wine that simple needs time, will be great in 18-24 months. Best likely from late 2028 for 10-15 years. 95 Points (can’t wait to try this wine again - it is fantastic)
Runholder based tasting
Te Kairanga Sauvignon Blanc 2025. 5% ish BF. Pungent, varietal and deeply impactful bouquet. Delicious, fresh and lively with a BB of acidity, ripe acidity is a seamless theme throughout the wine and an electric vibrato. Some florals, sweet lemon verbena, apples and some green pear notes. Sweet herbs, tropical fruit echoes and a positive and persistent length. VG. 94 Points.
Te Kairanga Pinot Gris 2025. Immediately a Grigio message with scents of mineral and freshness, there’s a purity of fruit that (10% old oak puncheons), pomaceous with greenish pear and angelica, green melon then apple. Mineral and fresh, lengthy and delicious. 93 Points
Te Kairanga Chardonnay 2023. Clone 6 & Mendoza. Some sweetness of new oak, there’s a fine flinty/mineral quality, this develops as the wine opens out in glass, but is neither distracting nor invasive. Flavours of white and yellow stone fruits then citrus and a delicate white floral spice quality. Fine, medium+ weight and delicious. Well made with a gentle Burgundian quality, a whisper of salinity and length. Well made, generous and refreshing style. 93 Points VVG.
Te Kairanga John Martin 2023. 100% Mendoza – old vines, 15% new barrel puncheon. A pure seamless bouquet of yellow flowers and a gentle sweetness of barrel, youthful, has fruit and youthful power. A wine of texture and power on the palate, a definitive acid line that carries mineral and earth-soke – a sense of site and natural energy. Nothing reductive just a lovely freshness and length. A 1er Chablis quality. A lovely expression and style. 95 Points
Te Kairanga Rose 2025. 100% Pinot Noir (Some Saignee juice), 10% old barrel. Floral and fruity bouquet, lots of tart strawberries and cherry fruits, there’s a citrus pith phenolic quality that adds mouthfeel and frames the fruit well. Delicious wine overall with persistent flavours and textures, some tropical fruit tea moments towards the finish. 92+ Points.
Te Kairanga Estate Pinot Noir 2024. Great colour and polish, purples and ruby with a light silver shimmer. An excellent bouquet of ripeness and intensity, not too much, a bouquet with concentration and a floral layer – a mix of violet. Dry, taut, excellent concentration and power, dark raspberry. A blend from 5 vineyards across 3 specific sites/locations. Fine tannins in abundance framed by acidity and youthful tautness. Well made, dry and ready to drink from day of purchase through 2030+. 94 Points.
Te Kairanga Runholder Pinot Noir 2024. Unfined wine, A definitive power on the nose and palate, a focus on the palate that says structure and intensity, a core of dark red berry fruit flavours with dark cherry and boysenberry some plum and some dried spice moments. Echoes of mineral and stony earth soils add complexity . Delicious and dry, 13.5% abv. (ish), feels a bit warmer. A delicious wine with power, structure and length. 94 Points
Te Kairanga John Martin Pinot Noir 2024. 2 blocks on the edge of the terrace and Mcleods block, near Poppies. Unfined and unfiltered. There’s a natural softness as the wine touches the palate,. Very fine tannins and needle point mouthfeel. Delicious and delightful, red berries, some plum and spice, baking spices and length. An excellent wine.
Te Kairanga WPF PN 2020. Single bottling wine, just able clone, barrel select, no new oak. WPF – William Patrick Foley. Ripe and fruity lots of raspberry and fleshy textures, firm through fine fruit tannins, med+ acid line. A wine of plushness and freshness, length and style. Bright and youthful still, well made and lengthy. Contextually a wine that has power and depth in its simplicity. Very enjoyable. 93 Points.
Oraterra with Wilco Lam Monday 9th Feb.
Chardonnay 2024. Timed on lees after pressing for “as long as possible” . In barrel for a min of 12 months. Very elegant with a softness and complexity, fine lees and stone fruits are also elegant, a wine of texture and mouthfeel, very expressive and complex with a pure and natural voice. The flavours of stone fruit and citrus then fold in. Mineral and citrus pith and peel layer. I love the overall voice of this wine, it is not trying to be anything other than where it comes from and how Wilco allows the voice of this wine to show. Lengthy, taut and complex. 95 Points
Pinot Gris 2024. Floral then delicate yet rich in primary character. RS 4.5 g. Mandarin, limeflower and honeysuckle res within the lees layers. Full MLF , unfined and unfitered. The expectation of bouquet is not the NZ voice, it is in fact the voice of what PG is from this place, The voice of this wine location and Wilco’s artistry, the fruit is in the choir not the lead singer (like so many PG are. Textured and dry, leesy without being a lager beer note. Complex with a slow taper to finish. A slow ambient ferment – 9 months ferment. 94 Points Excellent
Pinot Noir 2024. Powerful, youthful bouquet, stacked with fruit ad complexity, 1-2-3 use barrels. Then 4 months in fuder. 100% destemmed. Taut and youthful with definitive palate squeeze, a showcase of clones - 5, 10/5, Abel and 828 – of core fruit concentration, layers of textures from an abundance of tannins and acidity, Dark boysenberry and cherry fruits framed by tannins and acidity, ripeness and length. A wine to watch and let develop, which it will slowly. A keeper. 95 Points, easy.
Barrel tasting of the 2025s.
Chardonnay: Smells like GC Burgundy, The oak voice is noted on the nose, then on the palate fruit voice becomes the power statement – sweet apple and quince, stone fruits and citrus. The tannins then begin to tickle the palate, very very fine, a whisper of chalkiness and elegance. Lots to say with this wine, yet its still resting. VVG.
Pinot Gris 25. Same as the 24, the voice of place is definitive now that I try this wine. Drier, yet equally intense and with the citrus, then pomaceous fruits, palate squeeze and length VVG. The lees is the same too.
Pinots Noir from different barrels 25.. Super youthful hues of purple and ruby. 10/5 Classic style. Taut and new, modern and pure, the softness leads to elegance. A complete wine that needs time and rest to develop. PN 25. Abel. Muscle and power, firmer tannins and bite, a frame for the fruit. PN 25. WB, same vineyard, same barrel type, 100$ WBunch. Some carbonic moments, then a mineral, earthy quality, Tension and texture, power and drive, some front palate tannins deliver a chalky mouthfeel. Fruit drives through nicely.
Tasting at Grava Wines.
Set 1: Halite (Rock Salt – “Salt of the Earth”) 5 years ago – making wine for 16 years – last posting at Palliser Estate. “Making Wine is part of my Identity”. “I like to make wines from cooler sites”.says winemaker, Haidee.
PN, SB, Sangiovese. Organics are non-negs. Minimal intervention approach. Labels not varietal “to keep them open to interpretation”.
Chardonnay 2025: Clone 15 from the Osawa site (HBay). HH, WB, tank 12 hrs then racked to Hogshead seasoned 6 years old, Pied de Cuve, 11 months in barrel, some lees stirring. Some solids. 100 MLF, no filtering. A lovely soft creaminess and tautness as well, the palate squeeze, the stone fruit and citrus ideas stand firm and will continue to do so on the back of the acid line. A wine of line and length, well made and ready to drink. RRP from $45.00. 93 Points.
Pinot Noir 2025. 100% Grava Fruit Abel clone. There’s a lovely soft opening chapter here with scents of (Destemmed, infusion extraction, hand plunging, light pressing, overnight in tank then to barrel). Pied de Cuve beginning for the ferment. Soft red berry fruits with ‘Martinborough’ strawberry and red stony soils, firmish tannins have the small roundness and texture, medium++ acidity, lots of finish and style VG. 93 Points.
Good Way (wines) – vineyard next to Grava (Arapai) formerly StadCo - The Good Way Wines Ltd. 3Ha. Winemakers Hayley ad Anton.
Rose 2025, made with 100% PN. Varietal bouquet with a drive and elegance from the fruit’s core of strawberry and fruit tea spice. A hint of guava and red apple. (available as kegs and cans, everything completed in Martinborough). A fine chalk-like texture with a lees fruit tannins combination. The mouthfeel is VG. Delicious, easy and ready. 93 Points RRP from $30.00 Can $50.00 4 pack 350 ml.
Chardonnay 2024. Ripe, enticing and Clones 15 and Mendoza (picked in 2 parcels 21 Brix ) WB, 1 bin foot stomped, a touch of +reduction (seasoned 1 barrel with Chardonnay, then into an older barrel). Bright and fine, I love the combination of acidity and lick of reduction. Satin, almost silky mouthfeel, white and yellow stone fruits laced with some citrus. There’s a spark in the acid line, lots of length. 94 Points - Fantastic! RRP from $40.00.
Pinot Noir 2024. Clone 5 (6 rows), 20% WB, A lovely purity of fruit with scents of red soils and stones, a fine leesy seam with definitive sense of site, boysenberry and strawberry layers, taut and youthful still, an abundance of fine tannins, core pinosity and complexity, a wine of engagement and pleasure, length and style. RRP form $50.00 A delicious wine that will age gracefully. Best from as early as mid 2027 through 2033+. 93 Points
Huntress: Winemaker Jannine Rickards
Chardonnay 2025 – Excellent – fabulous texture, acidity and length. Classic Huntress as well.
White blend Waitoa – texture and power, breadth of flavours and length.
Pinot Noir 2025 from tank. Grava Fruit. Lovely aromas and enticement, Abel clone, 25% WB WF, A wine framed by it voice of PN and texture components, wild strawberries and plums, heirloom red berry fruits, a gentle baking spice quality, excellent acid line, plenty of tannins layer in mouthfeel and length. A natural pinoisty and Huntress style. Will be fantastic wine. 93 Points
Grava WInes. WInemaker
Godello 2024. (from Sapin). Great bqt, bright and fresh, a mineral tropical salt drive, citrus and lime, and white spice, sand. Crisp, dry, bright and fresh, lots of salivation and mandarin and orange. Delicious, bright and fresh. 92 Points Cellar door only $35.00
SB 2022. BF WB, in barrel on lees for 18months. Unfined and unfiltered. Older barrel. Classic BF style, bright and fresh with flavours of peach and white nectarine the cape gooseberry, (Full MLF). Bright fresh and delicious.93 Points RRP from $40.00
Carbonica 2025. Very aromatic with exuberant scents and red berry fruit flavours of wild raspberry and boysenberry, some hubba Bubba bubble-gum ideas. Juicy, fleshy, ripe and fresh. Such an easy wine to drink, fleshy and fun. 90 Points. RRP from $35.00
Gladstone Wines – With Alex (Sales and Marketing and Some Winemaking)(Ollie on Viti and Winemaking)
New Business iteration launched in 2025, plus it is 40 year celebrations ahead.
Pinot Noir Rose 2023. Ripe and fresh, a developing bouquet yet sound and inviting. Bone dry with a textured palate with flavours of cherries and rhubarb, strawberry and plum. Medium+ acid line, lots of salivation and a touch of peach-skin. Vibrant and fresh with persistent flavours, some fine chalky tannin textures. Well made, balanced and ready. 93 Points RRP from $28.00
Viognier 2020. Plush, ripe and fruity, the varietal signature. There’s a mix of apricot and apple then a dried (TA 5.5). A wine of texture, spice and mouthfeel. Medium+ ish acid line with a firm mouthfeel and length. 89 Points - Recommended. RRP from $35.00
Pinot Gris 2022 13.3%. Varietal and very bright with a core of ripe white fleshed fruits, some pineapple and yellow apple, a mix of leesy floral complexity, a fine layer of white pepper spice and dry palate squeeze qualities. Crisp and dry, fresh and taut, balanced, well made and ready. Very little remaining. 91 Points
Gladstone Vineyard Pinot Noir 2020. A lovely balanced wine with a mix of firmness and release, textures from fruit and wood tannins, the acid line holds its voice, some delicate sweetness of oak, some savoury qualities. Flavours of silt soils and strawberries, sweet-spiced oak, plum and vanilla, some soil-smoke and wood layers. Solid example, drinking well now and through 2031+. 92 Points Premium. RRP form $39.00
Daikins Road PN 2019. 2nd bottle – Fresher and more succinct, salami, meat ideas, firmness and freshness up a notch and a wine that remains persistent, dry and specific. The oak statement is firm yet balanced, a well made wine, still ageing and will continue to develop over the next 204 years. Sound and ready to drink from late 2027 through 2035+/-. 93 Points.