2023 Dry River Pinot Gris, Martinborough

Subtle crisp pear, roasted almond and flaky pastry aromas reluctantly lift from the glass. The palate is silky with an off-dry sweetness underpinning the mid-weight, subtle fruit. More spice develops towards the back with noticeable tart acidity which outlasts the fruit, giving a sherbet-like quality. A leaner, more shaded style of pinot gris with plenty of sophistication even if it is on the lighter side. This is still a bit closed today and will gain some weight in the mid-term. Drink to 2033.

94 points Stephen Wong MW for The Real Review, February 2025

The 2023 Pinot Gris leads with lemon barley, nashi pear, almond meal, green apples and a profusion of white spring flowers. The wine is plump, soft and feathered with texture. It's a lovely wine that comes highly recommended. Drink to 2033.

93 points Erin Larkin for The Wine Advocate, January 2025

The fruit for this wine came from the wet and cool 2023 season that rewarded those that were willing to put in the extra work in canopy management in the vineyards. The hand-harvested bunches from Dry River’s Mission and 457 clones of Pinot Gris were sorted and de-stemmed by hand at the winery and the berries pressed slowly over a duration of seven hours. The juice was then cold settled over three days and racked with some fine lees into a combination of stainless steel and oak barrels for fermentation with endemic yeasts at a cool sixteen degrees. The wine was allowed to rest for eleven months before it was blended and filtered in preparation for bottling.

The final wine has 6.9g/L natural residual sugar.

About this producer

Dry River Wines is one of the founding estates of on Martinborough Terrace in southern Wairarapa on New Zealand’s North Island. Established in 1979 by Neil and Dawn McCallum, the iconic name is back in local hands after a couple of decades under American ownership, with Wellington-based Charlie Zheng acquiring the estate in early 2026.

All wines are made from estate fruit grown in the deep alluvial gravel soils near the Ruamahunga River. A strong ethos founded on organic and biodynamic practices guides the work across the three dry grown and regeneratively farmed sites. The total of twelve hectares across the three were planted from 1979 to 1992 to Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer and Riesling. Meticulous canopy management is fundamental here and crop-thinning a common practice, all work aiming to provide premium fruit that is handled in an obsessive manner at the winery, with each bunch rinsed of dust, dried and destemmed by hand.  

Ben McNab was appointed winemaker after the 2026 ownership change. A local third-generation farmer, he comes to Dry River from Palliser Estate with a vineyard led approach and a deep respect for the traditions and heritage he is now custodian to. We look forward to the future shippings continuing the complex, savoury and cellar-worthy styles we’ve come to expect from this wonderful producer.