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Dry River Pinot Noir 2012

  • Huon Hooke
    96 Points
Dry River Pinot Noir 2012
  • Huon Hooke
    96 Points
Dry River Pinot Noir 2012
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Dry River Pinot Noir 2012

SKU: DRPN201212 UCAU
15 Plus Years
Regular price $139.99 / bottle
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"Intense and powerful Pinot Noir with ripe cherry, plum, floral and spice flavours. A taut and complex wine that promises to age extremely well." - 97 Points, Bob Campbell MW.

Quite simply NZ's most sought after Pinot Noir.

Sourced from a phenomenal private cellar.

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Dry River Pinot Noir 2012

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Tasting Notes

Dry River Pinot Noir 2012 exemplifies the pinnacle of New Zealand’s premium winemaking, sourced from a remarkable private cellar and recognized as one of the country’s most sought-after Pinot Noirs. This vintage offers an intense and powerful expression of the variety, delivering vibrant notes of ripe cherry, plum, floral accents, and subtle spice that evolve gracefully on the palate.

Celebrated by critics, the 2012 Dry River Pinot Noir received an outstanding 97 points from Bob Campbell MW, who describes it as a taut and complex wine with impressive structure and depth. Its intricate layers and refined acidity highlight excellent aging potential, rendering it a prized selection for collectors and enthusiasts.

Hailing from a region renowned for its cool climate and distinctive terroir, this Pinot Noir benefits from ideal growing conditions that enhance its bright fruit profile and balanced acidity. The 2012 vintage is particularly notable for producing wines with remarkable harmony and longevity, showcasing the expert craftsmanship invested in every bottle.

Experience a wine that captures the true essence of New Zealand’s most prestigious vineyards, combining power, finesse, and complexity in a truly exceptional Pinot Noir.

  • Intense and powerful Pinot Noir with ripe cherry, plum, floral, and spice flavours
  • A taut and complex wine that promises to age extremely well
  • Rated 97 Points by Bob Campbell MW
  • Quite simply New Zealand’s most sought after Pinot Noir
  • Sourced from a phenomenal private cellar

Critic Scores

Little to add to the previous review, except that it is powering along well and showing all the signs of a long life ahead. It's still full of fragrant cherry primary fruit of perfectly judged ripeness, and is fine-boned and delicious.

Vinification & Cultivation

Crafted only for our premium wines

Vineyard Cultivation

Dry River, founded in 1979 by Neil and Dawn McCallum, is widely regarded as New Zealand's most sought-after Pinot Noir producer, based on the alluvial gravels of the Martinborough terrace in the Wairarapa. This 2012 came from vines then around 30 years old, among the oldest Pinot Noir plantings in the country. The estate's European-influenced, minimal-intervention culture focuses on achieving true physiological ripeness and balance rather than early varietal appeal. The maritime, wind-affected climate and deliberately low yields give concentrated, structured fruit. The wine is built to age, showing its best after seven or more years in the cellar.

Vinification

Fruit was hand-picked and fermented with a focus on preserving primary red-fruit purity while building fine, ripe tannin structure. In the Dry River style, the wine was matured in French oak with a measured proportion of new barrels, and bottled with minimal filtration to retain texture and detail. Savoury whole-bunch and lees-derived, gently reductive nuances add complexity to the ripe cherry and plum core. The round, softly gripping tannins reflect the wine's youth on release; the estate's approach is designed for slow, graceful development over a decade or more.

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