2020 Dry River Chardonnay, Martinborough

Quite an exotic chardonnay with concentrated flavours including tropical fruit, mango, mandarin zest, peach, spice and anise. Delicious, complex wine that is accessible now but has a promising future. A powerful wine with impressive purity 25 Sep 2021 Drink 2021–2030

97 points Bob Campbell MW therealreview.com

Dry River Chardonnay from Martinborough is one of New Zealand’s most quietly revered white wines, a benchmark for purity, intensity and longevity. Dry River has always stood slightly apart from the mainstream, founded in the late seventies by Dr Neil McCallum with an almost obsessive focus on precision, low yields, site expression and the belief that great wine is made by attention to the smallest details. Their Chardonnay reflects this ethos completely. The fruit comes from immaculately tended estate vineyards on the Martinborough Terraces, where ancient gravel, river stones, silt and windblown loess create one of the most distinctive terroirs in the country. These free draining soils, combined with cool nights, steady wind patterns and a long, dry ripening season, produce Chardonnay that is both powerful and tightly coiled, capable of decades in the cellar.

Vineyard work is meticulous. Yields are kept very low through strict pruning and thinning, and picking happens in multiple passes to ensure only perfectly ripe fruit is selected. The winery’s philosophy is one of control and calm rather than intervention. Grapes are whole bunch pressed with extreme gentleness. Fermentation is driven largely by wild yeasts in French oak, but the proportion of new wood is deliberately restrained, usually a small percentage, chosen for texture rather than flavour imprint. Lees stirring is minimal or nonexistent depending on the vintage. The aim is density and precision without heaviness. Every step is geared toward preserving the natural concentration and minerality that the vineyard gives.

The aromatics are incredibly detailed and refined. White peach, lemon oil, grapefruit pith and golden apple form the core, joined by hints of melon, white nectarine and preserved citrus. Beneath the fruit lies a deep mineral seam reminiscent of wet stones, crushed shell and cool river gravel. Subtle notes of almond meal, toasted hazelnut, chamomile and brioche develop with air, yet nothing feels forced. The fragrance is clean, pure and quietly luxurious.

On the palate the wine is breathtakingly composed. It opens with concentrated citrus and stone fruit before broadening into layers of pear, peach skin, lemon curd and subtle spice. The texture is extraordinary: dense but weightless, silky yet driven by a taut, electric line of acidity. Lees ageing contributes gentle savoury complexity without rounding off the edges. There is a deep mineral undercurrent, a sense of firm structure pulsing beneath the fruit, giving the wine precision, direction and a long, unwavering finish. As it unravels, flavours of flint, toasted nuts, sea spray and fine herbs appear. This is a Chardonnay that continues to unfurl for minutes after each sip. With age it develops striking honeyed, truffled, lanolin and nutty complexity while retaining its remarkable backbone.

At the table it is wonderfully versatile. Pair it with crayfish, scallops, roasted hapuka, chicken with lemon and thyme, white bean cassoulet, gnocchi with brown butter and sage, creamy vegetable gratin, washed rind cheeses, truffle dishes or anything with quiet richness and finesse. It is also one of the rare New Zealand Chardonnays that shines at ten to fifteen years of age, making it a collector’s treasure.