Lawson's Dry Hills Reserve Pinot Noir 2022

Reviews & Accolades

No reviews for this vintage yet. Reviews and accolades for Lawson's Dry Hills Reserve Pinot Noir 2020:

Global Pinot Noir Masters 2024: Gold. 

New Zealand International Wine Show 2022: Gold.

Cameron Douglas MS: 94/100.  Fragrant, varietal, floral, fruity and complex bouquet. A wine with a definitive signature of place and winemaking. A dry wine touches the palate then a flourish of red cherry, spice and raspberry flavours begin to emerge. Additional flavours of dried spice and wood smoke, boysenberry and some plum layer in slowly as the wine opens out in glass. Balanced and well made with a lengthy finish. Best drinking from 2024 through 2032+.

James Suckling (JamesSuckling.com): 92/100. Aromas of red and black cherries, oolong and bark. Medium- to full-bodied with silky tannins. I like the concentration here which is not overdone, but solid and provides good intensity and length to the rounded red fruit. Sustainable. Drink now.

Tasting Note

This refined Pinot Noir showcases vibrant red berry fruit layered with fragrant spice from well-integrated oak. The palate is juicy and bright, supported by fresh acidity and supple tannins. With time in bottle, it’s evolving into classic Pinot territory, revealing earthy notes of forest floor and savoury hints of porcini mushroom.

Aromas and flavours:

Additional information

Type: red wine

Grape varial: 100% Pinot Noir

Food match: Soft and supple, this wine is lovely with red meat, as well as full- flavour chicken and pork dishes and game. Ideal with chargrilled foods, roasted vegetables and any earthy flavours such as beans and lentils. Loves toasted spices such as cumin, star anise, paprika and herbs like oregano, thyme and sage.

Wine region: Marlborough, New Zealand.

Vineyards: Primarily sourced from the hillside of Tilly’s Vineyard, with a small contribution from our Waihopai block, this Pinot Noir hails from the Southern Valleys sub-region where clay-rich soils and low rainfall create ideal conditions for the variety. The final blend features clones 5, 115, and 777. The low-yielding vines are meticulously managed with precise pruning, canopy work and fruit thinning, all to achieve optimal ripeness and depth of flavour. The result is a wine that captures both the character of the varietal and the unique expression of its origin.

Winemaking: The hand-picked fruit was put into open-top fermenters and left to cold macerate for three to six days, encouraging gentle extraction of colour and aroma. Once fermentation started, the cap of skins that floats to the top, was manually plunged three times daily to build structure and deepen flavour. Following fermentation, the wine remained on skins for an additional seven to 14 days to enhance texture and complexity. It was then pressed to a mix of French oak barriques (224L) and puncheons (500L), with 25% new oak. After ten months of maturation, the finest clones and barrels were carefully selected to create the final blend.

Alcohol: 14% vol

Total Acidity: 4.9 g/l

Residual sugar: 0 g/l

Bottle size: 0.75l

Notice: contains sulphites.

Cellaring potential: 2027+

Closure: Screwcap

Produced and bottled by: Lawson's Dry Hills Wines Limited, PO Box 4020, Redwood Village,Blenheim 7242, Neuseeland

Distributor: vinabonus GmbH, Simmedenweg 40, 34134 Kassel, Germany

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