Double Gold Medal – The New Zealand International Wine Show 2025
Gold Medal – National Wine Awards of Aotearoa New Zealand 2025
Winery notes (2024 Vintage)
"Dark-fleshed cherry, rose florals, and vibrant red and blue berry fruits layered with exotic spice. Deep, ripe bramble flavours unfold over a complex savoury core, supported by fine, spicy tannins that promise excellent aging potential.
Established in 1984, Te Kairanga is an important part of the Martinborough wine story. Our home vineyards are planted on land that was originally owned by the founding father of Martinborough, John Martin. While our land is steeped in history, our winemaking is very much focused on the future.
Grapes for this wine are selected from our Home and McLeod Vineyards on the Martinborough Terrace, one of New Zealand’s most coveted winegrowing sub-regions. Once a riverbed, it features deep ancient alluvial gravel soils. Our vineyards are sustainably farmed.
A near-perfect growing season for quality, though yields were reduced by unsettled flowering weather. Early spring growth and a dry season were followed by poor fruit set due to a prolonged, uneven flowering. January brought hot, dry conditions that set the stage for a strong vintage, while the cool, dry February and March preserved acidity and freshness. The small crop was harvested in ideal weather, producing concentrated fruit with intense flavour, moderate alcohol, and fine acidity.
Under the direction of Chief Winemaker, John Kavanagh, our winemaking philosophy places a premium on the character of each vineyard. Crafted from our Martinborough terrace vineyards, the fruit for Runholder Pinot Noir is derived from six clones, including the famed Abel clone. It was picked block by block and fermented in small batches and hand plunged. The wine was aged for 10 months in French oak (17% new) with balanced oak treatment and minimal fining and filtration to help preserve both varietal character and the inimitable personality of our terroir."