Some producers claim to be organic but choose not to register. Wines reviewed here have all been certified organic. Photo / Getty Images
About 5% of New Zealand’s total vineyard area is certified organic. To win the approval of the leading official certifier, BioGro, winegrowers must ditch the use of synthetic chemicals and then, over a conversion period of three years, achieve strict soil, environmental and biodiversity standards.
In Marlborough, 2.7% of
the total vineyard area is certified organic, far behind Central Otago, with 27%. Phasing out fungal sprays is far less risky in regions with a less disease-prone, drier climate. Given the two regions’ varietal focus, it’s no surprise that only 2% of this country’s sauvignon blanc, but more than 15% of its pinot noir, is certified organic.
Vineyards run organically are usually lower cropping, with higher production costs than those managed conventionally, so organic wines need to be priced higher than average. Some producers claim to be organic but choose not to register. The wines reviewed here have all been certified organic.
WHITE
Alpha Domus The Batten Bridge Pā Triangle Hawke’s Bay Chardonnay 2024
★★★★★
This classy wine was estate grown, hand harvested and handled in French oak casks (half new). Highly fragrant, it is mouthfilling, with lovely concentration of vibrant peach, grapefruit and biscuity oak flavours, fresh acidity and a rich, lasting finish. Complex, youthful and full of potential, it’s well worth cellaring to 2028+. (13.5% alc/vol) $39-$45
Astrolabe The Farm Marlborough Dry Riesling 2022
★★★★½
This strongly varietal wine was estate grown at Grovetown, in the lower Wairau Valley. Fragrant, it is medium bodied, with excellent depth of citrusy flavours, a gentle splash of sweetness balanced by appetising acidity, and attractive vigour and harmony. Still youthful, it should be at its best 2028+. (11.5% alc/vol) $27
Babich Family Estates Single Vineyard Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2025
★★★★½
This youthful wine was estate grown in the Headwaters Vineyard, in the Wairau Valley, and tank fermented. Very lively, it shows good intensity of ripe, citrusy, green capsicum-like flavours with yeasty notes adding complexity, and a crisp, dry, lingering finish. Best drinking 2027+. (13% alc/vol) $25
Clos Henri Estate Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2025
★★★★½
Clos Henri, near Renwick, is owned by Famille Bourgeois, a leading producer of Sancerre in the Loire Valley. A distinctive wine, in top years it’s a joy to drink. This bright, light lemon/green wine was harvested from clay and stony soils, and fermented and briefly aged on its yeast lees in tanks. Full bodied, it has generous, ripe, tropical fruit flavours, showing the weight and roundness typical of the Wairau Valley, a touch of complexity, fresh acidity and a dry finish. (13.5% alc/vol) $25
Greenhough Apple Valley Nelson Riesling 2025
★★★★★
Instantly appealing, this Upper Moutere wine is invitingly scented and light in body, with crisp, lively, lemony, appley flavours, showing excellent delicacy, freshness and harmony. Harbouring a gentle splash of sweetness, it’s a distinctly Mosel-like wine, for drinking now or cellaring. (9.5% alc/vol) $28
Greenhough River Garden Nelson Sauvignon Blanc 2025
★★★★½
This light lemon/green wine was grown on the Waimea Plains, and a small part of the blend was handled in seasoned oak barrels. Full bodied, it is very fresh and vigorous, with excellent depth of passionfruit, peach and green capsicum flavours, lively acidity and a dry, lingering finish. Best drinking 2027+. (13.5% alc/vol) $24
Greystone Waipara Valley North Canterbury Pinot Gris 2025
★★★★★
Already delicious, this distinctive, hand-picked wine was mostly tank fermented (4% was handled in old oak barriques). Weighty and ripely scented, it offers concentrated, peachy, spicy flavours with savoury notes adding complexity, and a smooth, basically dry, persistent finish. Best drinking 2028+. (14% alc/vol) $32
Loveblock Tee No Sulphur Added Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2023
★★★★
This highly characterful wine was estate grown in the Awatere Valley. “Tannin, obtained via a delicate extraction process from green tea leaves, was used as a natural antioxidant, instead of sulphur,” the company says. Bright, light yellow/green, it has aged well and is probably now at its peak. Mouthfilling, it has very good depth of well-ripened, non-grassy fruit flavours, slight sweetness and balanced acidity. Is it a classic Marlborough sauvignon blanc, in terms of its aromas and flavours? No. Is it interesting? Definitely. (13% alc/vol) $29
Momo Organic Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2025
★★★★
From Seresin, this medium to full-bodied wine has ripe tropical fruit flavours, lively and generous, and a dry, tightly structured finish. Youthful and strongly varietal, it offers good drinking this year. (12.5% alc/vol) $23
Neudorf Home Block Moutere Pinot Gris 2025
★★★★★
Energetic and vibrant, this distinctive, single-vineyard wine has a fragrant, savoury bouquet. Mouthfilling and finely textured, it has rich stonefruit flavours, impressive complexity, finely balanced acidity and a basically dry, lengthy finish. Youthful and very harmonious, it should be at its best 2028+. (13% alc/vol) $33
Neudorf Rosie’s Block Moutere Albariño 2025
★★★★★
This punchy wine was estate grown, hand harvested and fermented in a mix of stainless-steel tanks (70%) and old oak puncheons (30%). Mouthfilling and vibrantly fruity, it has concentrated peach, pear and spice flavours, savoury notes adding complexity, crisp acidity and a dry finish. Showing obvious potential for cellaring, it should be at its best 2028+. (13.5% alc/vol) $35
Pyramid Valley Mānatu Central Otago Chardonnay 2023
★★★★½
Still unfolding, this subtle, full-bodied wine was hand harvested in the Mānatu Vineyard at Lowburn, barrel fermented, and bottled unfined and unfiltered. Light lemon/green, it has strong, ripe, peachy, citrusy flavours, showing excellent delicacy and vibrancy, slightly biscuity notes, fresh acidity and a finely poised, lingering finish. Best drinking 2027+. (14% alc/vol) $50
Quartz Reef Bendigo Central Otago Chardonnay 2024
★★★★★
This classy wine was estate grown, hand picked, and fermented and matured for a year in French oak casks. Bright, light lemon/green, with a hint of straw, it is mouthfilling and savoury, with rich, ripe, peachy and citrusy flavours, biscuity notes adding complexity, fresh acidity, and a slightly creamy, long finish. A very refined and harmonious wine, it should be long lived; best drinking 2028+. (13.5% alc/vol) $45
The Wrekin Vineyard Libby’s Block Chenin Blanc 2024
★★★★★
This quietly classy wine was hand picked in the Southern Valleys. Set for a long life, it is scented and full bodied, with pure, penetrating fruit flavours to the fore, deep, ripe and peachy. Bright, light lemon/green, it is vibrant, with fresh acidity and a very harmonious, dry, lingering finish. Best drinking 2028+. (13% alc/vol) $50
Walnut Block Nutcracker Marlborough Chardonnay 2024
★★★★½
From mature, 28-year-old vines, this hand-harvested wine was fermented and matured for 15 months in French oak puncheons. Bright, light lemon/green, it is fragrant and vibrantly fruity, with mouthfilling body and strong, ripe, stonefruit flavours, showing very good vigour and complexity. Youthful and dry, with fresh acidity, it’s well worth cellaring to 2028+. (13.5% alc/vol) $36
SPARKLING
Amisfield Central Otago Méthode Traditionnelle Brut 2023
★★★★★
Pale lemon/green, this invigorating wine was made from pinot noir. It has a fragrant, fresh, yeasty bouquet. Very crisp and lively, it offers intense, citrusy, gently biscuity flavours, good acid spine and a yeasty, lingering finish. Full of personality, it’s a distinctly cool-climate style, well worth discovering. (12.5% alc/vol) $60
ROSÉ
Quartz Reef Bendigo Pinot Rosé 2025
★★★★★
Estate grown at Bendigo, in Central Otago, this bright pink wine is mouthfilling and vibrantly fruity, with ripe peach, strawberry and watermelon flavours showing excellent delicacy and depth, gentle acidity and a smooth, fully dry, persistent finish. Delicious from the start. (13.5% alc/vol) $36
Two Paddocks Central Otago Pinot Noir Rosé 2025
★★★★½
This attractive wine was hand harvested at Alexandra and Bannockburn. Bright pink, it is fresh and smooth flowing, with watermelon, strawberry and gentle spice flavours, showing excellent delicacy, balanced acidity and a dry finish. (13.5% alc/vol) $35
RED
Black Estate Home North Canterbury Pinot Noir 2024
★★★★★
A top vintage. Estate-grown at Omihi, it was hand harvested from vines planted mostly in 1994, barrel matured, and bottled unfined and unfiltered. Deep ruby, it is mouthfilling and highly concentrated, with rich, ripe cherry, plum and spice flavours, structured and lasting. A savoury, “serious” red set for a long life, it’s well worth cellaring to 2029+. (13% alc/vol) $45
Churton Marlborough Pinot Noir 2024
★★★★★
From an elevated site in the Waihopai Valley, this youthful, estate-grown red was hand picked and aged in seasoned French oak barriques. Deep, bright ruby, it is mouthfilling, savoury and supple, with refined tannins and rich cherry, plum and spice flavours that build well to a finely textured, very harmonious finish. Already very approachable, it’s one of the region’s finest reds, well worth cellaring to 2028+. (13.5% alc/vol) $48
Fromm The Curation Marlborough Pinot Noir 2021
★★★★★
Still youthful, this blend of Fromm’s best single-vineyard wines was grown and hand picked mostly at the Wrekin, Churton and Clayvin sites, and matured for about 18 months in small, aged oak barrels. Deep, bright ruby, it is mouthfilling and savoury, with rich, vibrant cherry, plum and spice flavours, oak complexity and supple tannins. A powerful but stylish red, it should be at its best 2028+. (13.5% alc/vol) $65
Fromm The Curation Marlborough Pinot Noir 2021. Photo / Supplied
Mount Edward Central Otago Gamay 2025
★★★★★
From the classic grape of Beaujolais, this is one of New Zealand’s best gamays to date. Deep ruby, it is vibrantly fruity, with fresh, concentrated, red berry and plum flavours to the fore, supple tannins, and loads of youthful vigour. Still unfolding, it should be at its best mid-2027+. (13% alc/vol) $45
Mount Edward Central Otago Gamay 2025. Photo / Supplied
Mount Edward Pisa Terrace Vineyard Central Otago Pinot Noir 2023
★★★★★
From an elevated, early-ripening site, this deep, bright ruby red is full bodied. Complex and very savoury, it has generous cherry, plum and spice flavours and good tannin backbone. A well-structured red with obvious cellaring potential, it should be at its best 2029+. (13.5% alc/vol) $75
Palliser Estate Hua Nui Martinborough Pinot Noir 2024
★★★★★
This highly seductive red is from the site previously known as Wharekauhau, planted in 1998, which Palliser Estate describes as its “premium pinot noir vineyard”. Hand-picked, it was fermented with indigenous yeasts and matured for 10 months in French oak barrels. Full, bright ruby, it is mouthfilling and sweet fruited, with concentrated, ripe flavours, complex, savoury and very harmonious. A lovely young red, full of potential, it’s well worth cellaring to 2029+. (13.5% alc/vol) $115
Paritua Hawke’s Bay Syrah 2024
★★★★★
Full of potential, this dark, purple-flushed red was estate-grown in the Bridge Pā Triangle and matured for more than a year in French oak barriques and puncheons (50% new). Mouthfilling, it displays deep, searching, plum and black pepper flavours, with refined tannins and a long finish. A savoury, complex red, it’s well worth cellaring to 2028+. (13.5% alc/vol) $50
Rock Ferry Trig Hill Vineyard Central Otago Pinot Noir 2022
★★★★★
This highly refined red was hand picked at Bendigo, aged for a year in French oak barriques and puncheons, and bottled unfined and unfiltered. Bright ruby, it is mouthfilling, with deep, ripe cherry, plum and spice flavours, vibrant, savoury and seamless. Youthful, vigorous and supple, it shows obvious potential; best drinking 2026+. (13.5% alc/vol) $45
Seresin Leah Marlborough Pinot Noir 2024
★★★★½
This good value red was estate-grown in the Omaka Valley and barrel-aged for eight months. Deep, bright ruby, it is youthful, with excellent depth of ripe cherry, plum and spice flavours, savoury notes adding complexity, and a well-structured finish. A very ageworthy wine, it’s well worth cellaring to 2028+. (13.5% alc/vol) $33
Te Kano Central Otago Pinot Noir 2021
★★★★½
This highly attractive, bright ruby red was estate grown at Bannockburn and aged for nearly a year in French oak barrels. Savoury, it is very harmonious, with strong cherry, plum, spice and nut flavours showing very good complexity, and a finely balanced, smooth-flowing finish. (14% alc/vol) $48
Two Paddocks Central Otago Pinot Noir 2024
★★★★★
This impressive, multi-site red was estate grown in the Bannockburn, Alexandra and Gibbston districts. Deep, bright ruby, it is refined and concentrated, with a delicious array of rich, ripe fruit flavours, finely integrated oak adding complexity, good backbone and a well-structured, very harmonious finish. Benchmark stuff, it’s well worth cellaring to 2028+. (13% alc/vol) $60
Whitehaven Greg Southern Valleys Single Vineyard Pinot Noir 2023
★★★★★
This impressive red was hand picked from vines planted in the Wrekin Vineyard in 2002. Mouthfilling, it is a very savoury and complex red, with rich cherry, plum, herb and spice flavours, ripe, well structured and very harmonious. A “complete” wine, it’s well worth cellaring to 2027+. (14% alc/vol) $60
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