Lawsons Dry Hills Gewurztraminer 2023

Lawson`s Dry Hills Gewurztraminer, Marlborough, New Zealand, 2023

Grape: 100% Gewurztraminer, 18-40 year old vines on clay soil (65% Home Block & 35% Woodward vineyard), sustainable farming, partial wild yeast fermentation in old French oak ("free run" juice in steel), ageing on yeast lees,  8g/L residual sugar

Producer Tasting Note:

The estate is justly renowned for its Gewurztraminer. In fact it is really gewürztraminer personified with wonderfully lifted florals and pronounced notes of lychee and citrus. The wine has a soft and rounded texture with a weighty, generous mid-palate. Rose petal flavours give way to ripe tropical fruits while the finish has a pithy lemon character. Intensely concentrated, complex and delicious. Cellaring potential - 5 years or more.

Critics' Tasting Notes:

!Fragrant, floral, fruity and classic bouquet with layers of spice and myriad white fleshed fruit scents. A silky texture touches the palate first then acidity layers in offering contrast and highlighting the spice qualities of the variety. Fruit flavours and a touch of white pepper reflect the bouquet, medium+-ish acid line, balanced, well made and ready to drink. Best from 2024 through 2028."

92/100 points, Cameron Douglas MS, March 2024

"Aromas of rose petals, papayas, fresh herbs and thyme. The palate is medium-bodied and creamy, giving notes of lemon balm, jasmine and stone fruit. Nicely balanced and textural. Drink now. Screw cap." 

James Suckling, November 2024

Also awarded Gold Medal, New Zealand International Wine Show, 2024

Lawson’s Dry Hills is a "carbon zero" boutique winery, close to Blenheim in New Zealand’s Marlborough region. It is part of the Family of Twelve, a fraternity of twelve of New Zealand’s most prestigious and enduring artisanal wineries.

The original company vineyard was planted in 1982 by Ross and Barbara Lawson, who launched the Lawson’s Dry Hills label some ten years later, in 1992. Today, the company’s wines range from Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir to Riesling and Gewurztraminer and are all made from fruit grown in the Wairau, Waihopai, Omaka and Awatere Valleys. These different regions and carefully selected vineyard sites provide varying characteristics derived from the different soils and microclimates, giving many options when it comes to blending to that much-anticipated Lawson’s style.

The dedicated bunch of people that make up the small team here are relaxed in company, yet passionate about their wines. They are very ‘hands on’, living and breathing every part of the viticultural and winemaking process and love to share their award-winning wines with others.

Food Match: Try with flavours such as fresh ginger, clove, cinnamon, allspice, turmeric, madras curry, Sichuan pepper, sesame, almond, coriander, cumin, citrus, kaffir lime, lemongrass. Also good with soft cheeses, Moroccan flavours and chilli.