This barrel fermented Pinot Gris is a great alternative to Chardonnay, which was inspired by the classical French approach to Pinot Gris, using lees stirring and partial malolactic fermentation to add texture, weight and dryness to burn. 

This wine is made from 100% Martinborough grapes, all grown on Te Muna Road, 9 kilometres east of the township on a vineyard first planted in 1999.

Winemaker Larry McKenna recommends cellaring it for up to five years - or enjoy right now. 

Larry McKenna loves a Chardonnay made in a fresh, crisp style with creamy texture but balanced by bright acidity, a medium to full body and a long finish. So, if big buttery Chardonnays are your thing, this wine will meet your hopes in a textural fashion. Which is another way of saying, try this great white made in a fresh style.

It's made from grapes grown on Te Muna Road, Martinborough, which were planted in 1999. The wine goes through malolactic fermentation with lees stirring to enhance texture and it aged for 11 months in French oak, 20% of it new.

Barrel fermented, dry style of Pinot Blanc which is aged for 11 months. What more could you ask for in an alternative white wine from Te Muna Road in Martinborough? Winemaker Larry McKenna models this Pinot Blanc on the great dry whites of Germany's Kaiserstuhl district where spicy wines are made to complement rich food. 

This wine is made from vines planted in 1999 on Te Muna Road in Martinborough. It's bone dry with less than one gram of residual sugar and the finished wine spent 11 months aging in barrel prior to bottling. It can age for up to five years and drinks well now too. 

Escarpment Pinot Noir highlights Martinborough's unique terroir and winemaking philosophy, soundly revealed in this blend of Pinot Noir parcels from across this beautifully well-suited cool climate district.

The 2022 Escarpment Martinborough Pinot Noir is an assemblage of the best Pinot Noir vineyards across the district, with 75% of the grapes from the Te Muna Road sub region. The fruit was hand harvested and crushed to open top fermenters, with minimal intervention until it was pressed. Plunged just once a day for gentle extraction and then left to macerate on skins for an average vat time of 25 days. It has been aged in French oak barriques (27% new) for 11 months followed by a further 9 months in stainless steel tanks before bottling without fining or filtration.


A savoury expression of Pinot Noir showcasing fresh earth, spice, orange rind and bay leaves. The wine expresses the elegance of the 2022 vintage with a palate that is bright and juicy.

A textural style Sauvignon that is layered and complex, with a racy mineral backbone, thanks to the alluvial gravels of the Martinborough terrace and the unique growing conditions of Martinborough.

W I N E M A K E R S   N O T E 

From the exceptional 2024 vintage this is our first release of Sauvignon Blanc under the Escarpment label. Fermentation was conducted in a range of stainless-steel tanks, along with 20% in French Oak puncheons, 2% of the blend in new oak and a small portion fermented on skins. A mix of indigenous and inoculated yeast were used. Aged for 6 months before bottling.  This is a Sauvignon that showcases sophistication and texture, along with a limey/mineral backbone that gives great length and purity, and a moreish finish that will have you reaching for another glass.

T A S T I N G 

Gooseberry, nettle and guava are accompanied by lifted white floral notes, with the fruit sitting in the tropical spectrum. The palate is hinged together by textural elements that are balanced by restrained, but intense, fruit weight. There is a lovely seam of limey acidity that brings drive and offers a long lingering finish to the wine. It showcases the minerality and purity we get in white wines grown on the alluvial gravels.

Inspired by the elegant dry pink wines of Provence in southern Franc, this rose is made in Martinborough from one of New Zealand's top Pinot Noir producers, the Escarpment Vineyard.  It is dry with summer berry aromas and a lively lingering finish. 

Fruit from an established vineyard, grown on the famous alluvial terrace - a quintessentially Martinborough Pinot Noir, with classic savoury characters, lifted spice and supple tannin.

Winemaker's notes

The Kiwa vineyard, in the township of Martinborough is one of the mature plots planted in the district. A combination of deep alluvial gravels for which the Martinborough Terraces are renowned. A combination of Clones UCD 5 and 6 rewards us with a complex and spicy wine.  The fruit was destemmed to an open top fermenter with the inclusion of some whole bunch. It was fermented using indigenous yeast and hand plunged just once a day for soft extraction, with a total vat time of 25 days. After pressing it was matured in 35% new French oak barriques for 20 months. Bottled without fining or filtration, promoting textured mouth feel and balanced fruit complexities.

Tasting

The Kiwa vineyard tends to exhibit complex savoury notes, of bay laurel, green tea and Chinese five spice. These are underpinned by an array of red fruits such as raspberry, sour red cherry and red currant, that sit amidst lifted and floral perfumed notes. The savoury complexity continues through the palate, with a wine that offers both grace and presence. It is bright and expressive with incredible buoyancy, thanks to the taut focus and firm tannins. This helps to tighten the structure giving one confidence to cellar for at least 10 years. Serve at 16°C and match with any game food.

From an exceptional single site on Te Muna Road, the estate grown Pahi Vineyard is an individual site selection Pinot Noir sourced from designated rows on the famed Martinborough Terrace.

94 Points – James Suckling review

So floral, with cranberry and orange peel aromas that follow through to a medium body with sliced orange and peach flavours. Crunchy and delicious. So fresh and yummy. Some whole bunch fermentation.

94 Points Huon Hooke, The Real Review

Medium-full red with purple rim and reserved, shy aromas in the earthy/forest undergrowth and walnut spectrum. A patina of smoky oak too. The wine is rich and full in the mouth, with volume and amplitude. A deep and fleshy wine with loads of extract to match the intense flavours and big structure. Long, long finish. Serious pinot: long-term potential but also really appealing right now. It could cope with heartier meat dishes.

95 Points Cameron Douglas MS

This wine delivers complexity, a sense of site and vintage as well as complexity and power. Aromas and flavours of spiced berries, plum and barrel;  polished tannins and acidity framing the texture of this wine with flavours of plum and red berries, cherry and rose that follow. There’s a fine chalk dust residue on the finish that delivers more mouthfeel and carries extra flavour. A delicious wine. I enjoyed a glass of this with a smoke salmon and red beet risotto with lashing of parmesan cheese - a wonderful match. Best from late 2027 through 2034.

"Pahi has a long track record and is arguably the most impressive Pinot Noir in the Escarpment stable today." Joelle Thomson, 2023

Escarpment fashions Pinot Noir from the Martinborough district in New Zealand. Part of our ethos is to explore boundaries and create wines of interest and complexity.

W I N E M A K E R S   N O T E

The Noir label brings together over three decades of wine making experience, creating a soft, bright, fruit forward wine which can be enjoyed immediately or will cellar successfully for several years. Made using traditional techniques from fruit grown on the Martinborough terrace. The fruit was destemmed into open top vessels and fermented using indigenous yeast. After an average vat time of 20 days the wine was pressed off and aged in predominately older French barriques for 10 months. Bottled without fining or filtration, the resulting wine is a blend of 24 individual parcels. Structure and texture sit perfectly with ripe fruit flavours and gentle tannins that combine with intriguing complexity. Enjoy with many types of cuisine or cellar confidently for up to 5 years.

T A S T I N G 

Bright ruby red in colour, the wine opens with lifted perfume and fresh summer berries. An elegant vintage has given us softness and focus. It is very fragrant and attractive with fresh red berries, underpinned with turned earth, subtle spice and savoury notes, which add to complexity. The fresh berries continue on the palate with ripe cranberry, fresh cherry and strawberry, creating a bright vibrancy and crunchie freshness. Soft, fine-grained tannin also intertwine on the palate, creating texture and poise. This is an attractive wine that is immediately appealing but will also reward with a few years in the cellar. Serve at 16°C and enjoy with any red meat and rich pasta dishes, or as a perfect accompaniment to a barbeque.

Kupe is made entirely from Escarpment's home block first planted in 1999 on Te Muna Road. The alluvial gravels on the Martinborough Terrace provide a distinctive character that sets a benchmark for New Zealand Pinot Noir.

94 Points – James Suckling review

A thoroughly beautiful pinot with fresh aromas of strawberries and sliced oranges that are balanced and pure. Medium-bodied with integrated tannins and a clear and bright finish. Cantaloupe and flint undertones. Made from pure Abel clone and fermented with 30% whole clusters.

95 Points Cameron Douglas MS

This wine is outstanding. Aromas and flavours of ripe red berries, red apple skin, earth and wood spices, a wine packed with texture led by acidity and tannins, then a sense of site from the dark clay mineral ideas. Dry on the palate with a medium- weight, a backbone of acidity and forceful tannins with coarse-silk through polished mouthfeel. Delicious, lengthy and well made. Best drinking from day of purchase if decanted, otherwise from 2029 through 2033+.

96 Points Huon Hooke, The Real Review

Deep-ish red-purple colour and a bouquet that is reserved and shows dominant oak at this tender age. It's full bodied and very firm, with big structure and grip, bright acidity and firmly gripping tannins, also major intensity and concentration of flavour. There is a wow factor here. This is a pinot noir built to age and it demands patience. It can be approached now but I wouldn't dream of touching it for some considerable time. Impressive stuff. 2028–2041

History of The Escarpment Vineyard

Larry McKenna was one of the first winemakers in Martinborough and has had a pivotal role in pioneering Pinot Noir in New Zealand. He was born and bred in Australia and began winemaking in the Wairarapa region at Martinborough Vineyards in the early days of modern New Zealand wine. In 1999 he founded The Escarpment Vineyard on Te Muna Road, a dramatically beautiful valley which is nine kilometres east of the Martinborough township. 

The Escarpment Vineyard was purchased by Torbreck Wines in South Australia in 2018 and Larry remains at the helm with winemaker Tim Bourne.