Detailed, decadent perfume with crystalised ginger, talcum and rose petals. Very pretty but also poised. The palate is silky and dense with lots of power on the flavoursome, long and complex palate with bright sunny fruit which leads to a warming, savoury and perfumed back-palate. Nicely balanced against the sweetness by a quinine/tonic finish which reins in the exuberant fruit. Sophisticated, refined and utterly classic gewüztraminer. Everything is exactly in place and it will also age for a few years. Fantastic stuff. 95 points. Stephen Wong MW, The Real Review
Te Whare Rä has a long standing reputation for producing one of New Zealand’s finest Gewürztraminers and much of the credit must go to the vineyard here. This wine is produced solely from 14 rows in the old block which were planted in 1979 and are the oldest producing vines in Marlborough at 44 years of age. Part of the reason for our conversion to organic and biodynamic farming was to rescue these old vines and coax them back to life. We saw huge potential in this old block and successfully rejuvenating them has been one of our greatest achievements. They are very low-cropping, which is not great for the accountant’s numbers, but this is worth it for the amazing complexity and concentration we get from the fruit and the exceptional quality of the resultant wines.
All fruit for this wine was hand-picked and then hand-sorted. The fruit was de-stemmed and gently crushed, then given some good skin contact time before being slowly and gently air-bag pressed. The wine was fermented 100% in stainless steel. The juice was fermented very slowly, at cool temperatures to retain aromatics. All parcels spent time on lees, post ferment, for added texture and complexity. This wine has not been fined and is suitable for vegans and vegetarians and anyone else who loves authentic, hand-made wines.
Intensely perfumed, with notes of lychees, mango, ripe oranges and cloves. These lead into luscious varietal flavours of lychee and quince, with underlying characters of ginger and exotic spice. palate shows intense fruit concentration and weight with a fine, soft texture and excellent persistence of flavour. This wine is off dry and continues the outstanding quality of previous vintages of our Te Whare Rä Gewürztraminer.
Te Whare Ra (TWR) is a small vineyard and winery located in the Marlborough sub-region of Renwick, owned by winemakers – Anna & Jason Flowerday. The 11 Ha vineyard which has predominantly loam over clay soils, is one of the oldest in Marlborough, originally planted in 1979. Yields are kept low, the vineyard is managed with a combination of organic and biodynamic practices and all the fruit is hand picked and hand-sorted.
The wines are made with minimal intervention in a small winery which has been specifically set up for small batch winemaking. TWR produces Gewürztraminer, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, an aromatic blend called Toru, Rose, Pinot Noir and Syrah. Our Cellar Door is open for wine sales and tastings from November till we start harvest in March. During this time we’re open weekdays from 11 – 4 and some weekends when the vineyard and family time permits.
CellarHand is a fine-wine importer and wholesale distributor, with a portfolio featuring some of the most sought-after estates of Germany, Austria, France and Italy, as well some of the greatest producers from Australia and New Zealand. Our ethos has always been to build a portfolio as you’d construct the perfect wine list. We work with small, family producers who express the best of their regions. The wines we sell are the wines we enjoy, and the people who make them are like family to us. They are wines that taste of where they come from, and though they’re steeped in history and stamped with the signature of their terroir, they’re more than ever relevant – and desirable – to the Australian diner of today.
