Dry River Wines Lovat Gewurztraminer 2020

The nose is initially closed with orange marmalade, jackfruit and candied apricots.

Then the spices, like cumin and fenugreek, become more visible. Grilled pineapple, nashi pear and honey rate come forward with time. The palate, too, is slow to reveal itself. It is delicate and deep, with a persistent texture throughout. Slightly drier than previous years, which exposes the mid palate more, the real nature of the wine becomes evident after several approaches: calm, juicy and delicious, with a strong personality.

Dry River was established in 1979 by Dr Neil and Dawn McCallum and was one of Martinborough’s first wineries. Named for one of South Wairarapa’s earliest sheep stations, Dry River rests on the very arid, gravelly, free-draining soils near the Ruamahunga River, an area known as the Martinborough Terrace. The McCallums’ dream was to produce unique, high-quality wines that age beautifully. It has been our focus ever since. With small vineyards and limited production each year, Dry River continues to sell directly to its loyal club members first and foremost. Dry River wines evolve in the bottle and reward patience by getting better over time.

This is first-class gewurz with oily, clove, spice and dried-orange aromas. Full-bodied and relatively dense with a long aftertaste of pie crust and spice. Toffee, too. Lightly sweet.