Dry River Craighall Riesling

The world famous Dry River are one of the pioneers of the New Zealand wine scene and quite rightly sit at the big boys table of New Zealand fine wine names.

Named after a historic sheep station a few kilometres down the road, Dry River was established in 1979 by visionaries Doctor Neil and Dawn McCallum. These guys were well ahead of the game when they planted their first vines on what is now known as the Martinborough Terraces. It’s a site known for its free draining gravels, cool maritime climate and (thanks to a bit of inside info from soil scientist and friend Dr Derek Milne) a 30 year record for the lowest rainfall in the North Island.

In 2003, Neil sold the winery to seriously wealthy Wall Street billionaire hedge fund manager and philanthropist Julian Robertson (according to Neil, ‘the guy who invented the hedge fund’ and one of the world’s super rich!). The aim remains the same though – to produce world class wines that age beautifully.

We’re super stoked to be able to land some extremely limited stocks of their 2021 Dry River Riesling from the Craighall vineyard.

Scoring an incredible 96/100 from Master of Wine Bob Campbell. Bob called this “Intense, powerful, layered riesling that gives a nod in the direction of Alsace while retaining a distinct and recognisable character of its own. Lime, wildflower, apricot and oyster-shell are among the more obvious flavours. The wine gains strength from a solid backbone of ripe acidity, which helps drive a lingering finish. It will benefit from aeration.”

A seriously classy example of New Zealand Riesling. All bottles individually numbered, drink now to 2039.