LAWSON’S DRY HILLS GEWÜRZTRAMINER 2024

With the homeblock vines planted in 1981, this is from some of the oldest Gewürztraminer vines in NZ. Over the years this has become a benchmark for the variety in New Zealand and with an excellent vintage in 2024 this is a standout release. Although only accounting for 1% of the vines planted in NZ, Gewürztraminer still has plenty of lovers. This is for you!

Winery notes (2024 Vintage)
"Our 2024 Gewurz displays classic notes of lychee, cardamon, lemon and rose petals on the nose. The palate is round, rich and super concentrated with all the classic varietal flavours you’d expect. Just off-dry with the hint of sweetness beautifully balanced by a gentle acidity. A delicious and memorable wine!

80% of the grapes were from our home block and 20% from the Woodward vineyard just down the road. The vines are aged between 18 and 40 years old, growing on quite heavy, clay-based soils. The 2024 harvest was low yielding, and the dry season meant the grapes ripened perfectly and we were able to pick them in perfect condition and packed with flavour."

5 Stars & Number 1 Cuisine NZ & International Other Whites, February 2025 (2024 Vintage)
"No matter what ends up on top for this category, there is always a gewürtztraminer on the list. Known for its telltale highly aromatic lychee and rosewater nose, gewürtz is mostly associated with Germany and Alsace, which sits just inside the French border with Germany. Gewürtz loves cool climates, so unsurprisingly it grows well in New Zealand.

Unlike in Alsace, however, where gewürtz is the second most-planted grape, in New Zealand it accounts for less than 1% and is predominantly planted in the South Island. The cool climate helps with the purity of vibrant aromatics and the bright clean palate that make this wine so special. That said, those who love a richer gewürtz should look to Hawke’s Bay for gratification.

When it comes to the relative obscurity of gewürtztraminer, perhaps the range of sweetness levels is part of the issue (as is the plight of other aromatic, riesling). With New Zealand’s star wine sauvignon blanc continuing in its global ascendancy, the winemaker is left with the dilemma to make what you love or to make what’s most likely to make you money. In a cost- of-living crisis, painful practical decisions have to be made and more and more sauvignon vines replace other varietals.

Luckily for those adorers of something pungent, not everyone has given up on gorgeous gewürtz and for that we’re truly grateful. A pretty and enticing nose with rose petals and musk drawing you into the glass, this palate is an exotic melange of cinnamon, nutmeg and that all essential musk returns to beguile. Charmingly complex."

92/100 Cameron Douglas MS, March 2025 (2024 Vintage)
"A classic bouquet of intensity and freshness, floral and fruit centric with exotic scents of fresh apples and pears, white pepper and quince, there’s a whisper of ginger and white nectarine then a minerality showing as stone. Just dry on the palate with a silky texture, core fruit flavours of pomaceous fruits and white nectarine, plenty of exotic spices and definitive acid line with a saline flick on the finish. Delicious and ready to drink from day of purchase through 2028."