Goldilocks vintage leads to gold at Marlborough Wine Show
Goldilocks vintage leads to gold at Marlborough Wine Show
A ‘goldilocks’ vintage has resulted in gold for te Pā Wines, who picked up the De Sangosse NZ Champion Pinot Noir, Current Vintage trophy at the 2024 Marlborough Wine Show, sponsored by QuayConnect.
Made using a blend of fruit from two carefully selected sites, te Pā Pinot Noir 2023 was the winning wine. te Pā has a long history in Marlborough which extends back 800 years; long before the first grapes were planted in the region.
Below, owner Haysley MacDonald shares a little about that history, while Chief Winemaker Sam Bennett shares some insight into the wine and what made this vintage so special…
Congratulations on picking up the Champion Pinot Noir, Current Vintage, at this year’s Marlborough Wine Show. Can you tell me a bit about this wine, and what makes this particular vintage stand out?
Sam: Our te Pa 2023 Pinot Noir was a blend from two of our best and very complementary Pinot Noir sites, which are both north facing slopes on clay based soils. One site is in the Awatere Valley and the other is in the Wairau’s Southern Valleys.
The wine is from a mix of clones (667, 777 and 115) which were mostly co-fermented. So the individual ferments were site/block selections, not clonal selections. The ferments had 20% whole bunch, as we like the spicy complexity that gives to the wines. We also quite like oak so this wine has 30% new French oak in the blend.
2023 was a bit of a ‘goldilocks’ season for Pinot Noir. It was not too dry and not too wet, so we had healthy vines, an even set, and an appropriately low, but not uneconomic yield. The wines were harmonious early on and very well balanced.
Marlborough has been gaining a name for itself with Pinot Noir in recent years - what is it about our region that makes it such a good producer of Pinot Noir?
Sam: We think Marlborough can make great Pinot Noir and the region as a whole has made huge leaps in quality and consistency over the last decade or two.
Identifying the good sites has taken a bit of time – North facing, low yielding with clay based soils in this case. Vine age plays a role, reinforced by the fact the Dijon clones introduced in the late 1990s and 2000s are really starting to hit their straps.
The region’s ability to exuberantly express fruit and yet maintain tension and balance makes it well suited to Premium Pinot Noir.
te Pā has a long history here in Marlborough. Are there any particular sub-regional characteristics that are showcased in this wine?
Sam: This wine is in fact a blend of two sub-regions. Most of our te Pā Wines are comprised of a blend of fruit from Marlborough’s two main Valleys. We find the different flavour and structural characteristics of each of the sub-regions blend very well together.
We blend to give us wines with greater complexity and balance. In the te Pā 2023 Pinot Noir, we get the ripe rich fruit and the bold tannic structure from the fruit from the warmer site in the Omaka Valley. The fruit from the cooler and later ripening site in the Awatere Valley contributes spice, florals and a velvety mouthfeel.
How is your love of the land, and history upon it, reflected in the bottle?
Haysley: My family and ancestors have lived on the lands in the lower Wairau Valley since the earliest migrations of indigenous Māori to this country, some 800 years ago. So to have our main vineyard estate located in the lower Wairau Valley to this day means we remain inextricably connected to the land and waters in the region. This connection and history with the land is clearly expressed in (and on) the bottle. The distinctive figure 8 (waru in te Reo Māori) hook design on our front label represents my family’s 800 years of history on the land.
The logo is also a traditional Māori fishing hook called a hei matau, which symbolises our connection to the waters of Cloudy Bay, the Wairau River, the Wairau lagoons, and the Marlborough Sounds. My people have been sustained by kai moana from those bodies of water for generations.
To this day, I’m a keen fisherman, diver, hunter, and vocal advocate for responsible fishing levels both recreationally and commercially. Through my trustee role with my iwi, I’m involved with numerous fishery discussions at Ministry and Government level that aim to ensure these precious assets are protected for future generations.
Our love, care and connection for the wai extends to the whenua (land) too. Of course we’re a member of SWNZ (Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand), which celebrates 30 years in 2025, but we’ve also extended our sustainability efforts in the vineyard to go far beyond our SWNZ obligations. At the heart of this approach is our inter-row cover crop planting programme, which has led to major improvements in soil health, water retention, insect diversity, and vine health. The soil is now alive with worms and we see more energy and flavour in the grapes too, which means better quality in the bottle itself.
Customers around the world love hearing about our care for the land through our sustainability programme, and when combined with my family’s unique connection to the land, it’s a powerful and authentic message to share.
About the Sponsor
De Sangosse New Zealand supports winegrowers and other horticulturalists with solutions to protect crops against disease, pests and the effects of adverse weather. The company works throughout the world and has become a vital partner for many of New Zealand’s winegrowers.