Winemaker Notes
Alluring aromas of dark plum and spice hint at a wine of brooding complexity. Further exploration is rewarded with a bright perfume and scents of red cherry, raspberry and lifted floral notes. The palate is full and concentrated with soft silky tannin and a long juicy finish.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Balanced and juicy, showing red cherries, dried meat and baking spices. Medium-bodied, bright and berry-loaded with velvety tannins and mouthfeel. Peppery, flavorful finish. Sustainable.
Nestled in the heart of Marlborough in the South Island of New Zealand, TE PA FAMILY VINEYARDS is not just a testament to the region's rich viticultural potential—it is a living tribute to a legacy that dates back 800 years. Owned by Haysley MacDonald, te Pa is more than a winery; it's a continuation of a familial saga that began with the earliest Maori settlers in the Wairau Bar. Haysley's ancestry imbues te Pa with a profound sense of place and history that is reflected in each selection of the winery's portfolio.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
An icon and leading region of New Zealand's distinctive style of Sauvignon blanc, Marlborough has a unique terroir, making it ideal for high quality grape production (of many varieties). Despite some common generalizations, which could be fairly justified given that Marlborough is responsible for 90% of New Zealand's Sauvignon blanc production, the wines from this region are actually anything but homogenous. At the northern tip of New Zealand’s South Island, the vineyards of Marlborough benefit from well-draining, stony soils, a dry, sunny climate and wide temperature fluctuations between day and night, a phenomenon that supports a perfect balance between berry ripeness and acidity.
The region’s king variety, Sauvignon blanc, is beloved for its pungent, aromatic character with notes of exotic tropical fruit, freshly cut grass and green bell pepper along with a refreshing streak of stony minerality. These wines are made in a wide range of styles, and winemakers take advantage of various clones, vineyard sites, fermentation styles, lees-stirring and aging regimens to differentiate their bottlings, one from one another.
Also produced successfully here are fruit-forward Pinot noirs (especially where soils are clay-rich), elegant Riesling, Pinot gris and Gewürztraminer.