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Martinborough

New Zealand

Martinborough

MarlboroughMarlboroughNelsonNelsonHawke's BayHawke's BayGisborneGisborneNorth CanterburyNorth CanterburyCentral OtagoCentral OtagoMartinboroughMartinborough

New Zealand wine regions

About Martinborough

Martinborough is a village of barely two thousand people that makes some of the southern hemisphere's most sought-after Pinot Noir. In 1980 a scientific report identified the free-draining terrace east of town as Burgundy-like, and pioneers like Clive Paton of Ata Rangi and Neil McCallum of Dry River planted it on faith. The bet paid off: tiny yields from wind-checked vines on the Martinborough Terrace give dark, savoury, long-lived Pinot that collectors chase. An hour and a half over the Remutaka Hill from Wellington, the village fills with weekenders who can walk between most of the cellar doors around its leafy square.

Vintages

12 · 2014–2025

Rating:
95+
90-94
85-89
80-84
<80
PeakReadyHold
Year202520242023202220212020201920182017201620152014
Red

Outstanding Martinborough Vintages

The best recent vintages rated excellent or exceptional.

Red

2025

Almost ready
93Excellent

Deeply coloured, balanced Pinot from a warm, even season; a very promising young vintage.

2027Peak 2028–20332036

2024

Ready
93Excellent

A return to classic form: perfumed, concentrated Pinot with bright acid lines.

2026Peak 2027–20322035

2021

At peak
94Excellent

Tiny yields gave dark, intense, structured Pinot built to age; the standout of recent years.

2023Peak 2025–20312034

2020

At peak
93Excellent

Precise, aromatic wines with fine tannins and a long future.

2022Peak 2024–20302032

2019

At peak
93Excellent

Complete, balanced Pinot with depth, perfume, and drive; a modern reference year.

2021Peak 2023–20292031

2015

At peak
92Excellent

Concentrated, perfumed wines with classic Martinborough structure from a small crop.

2017Peak 2019–20262029

2014

Drink up
90Excellent

Generous, open-knit Pinot from a warm, abundant season, charming early and now fully mature.

2016Peak 2018–20242026

GI & Districts

Classification System

New Zealand's GI (Wine and Spirits) Registration Act passed in 2006 and came into force in 2017. A registered GI on the label means at least 85 percent of the grapes grew in the named area. Famous district names like Gimblett Gravels are not GIs at all but privately held trademarks with their own, stricter rules.

Registered GI

Marlborough to Central Otago, 85 percent of the fruit from the named area

Nested GI

A registered area inside a larger one, like Bannockburn within Central Otago

Trademark district

Privately enforced names like Gimblett Gravels, which demands 95 percent from its gravel soils

What Martinborough produces

Red

Dark, savoury, structured Pinot Noir from the Terrace, built for a decade in the cellar.

White

Riper, stonier Sauvignon Blanc than Marlborough, plus fine dry Riesling and Pinot Gris.

Similar styles

Lands in the same glass.

Reuilly

Loire Valley, France

Saint-Bris

Burgundy, France

Mantinia

Peloponnese, Greece

Randersacker

Franken, Germany

Erbaluce di Caluso

Piedmont, Italy

Grapes of Martinborough

Pinot Noir

Body
Tannins
Sweetness
Acidity
strawberryraspberryred cherryviolet

New Zealand's first great Pinot address: dark cherry, dried herbs, and savoury depth from tiny-yielding terrace vines, led by Ata Rangi and Dry River.

Sauvignon Blanc

Body
Sweetness
Acidity
grassasparaguspassion fruitgrapefruit

A riper, stonier take on New Zealand Sauvignon, with Craggy Range's Te Muna plantings showing its herbal, mineral side.

What it tastes like

Body

Medium

Acidity

Bright

Tannin

Firm

Oak

A touch of oak

Ripeness

Ripe

Concentration

Concentrated

Reds

Medium-bodied, concentrated and bright with firm tannin; dark cherry, black plum and dried herbs over black tea and forest floor, savoury and built to age.

red fruit · black fruit · savoury · earthy · spicy

Body

Lightish

Acidity

Bright

Oak

No oak

Ripeness

Fresh

Concentration

Medium

Whites

On the lighter side and bright; tropical fruit, citrus and an earthy side, with a taut finish.

tropical · citrus · earthy · herbal · stony

Climate

Cool dry climateRain shadowWindy flowering seasonLong dry autumnsCold nights

Cool and dry, sitting in the rain shadow of the Tararua ranges with near-southern-France sunshine and one of the North Island's lowest rainfalls. Blustery winds at flowering naturally cut the crop, and the long, dry autumn lets Pinot Noir hang for flavour. Nights are cold, keeping acidity fresh in whites and reds alike.

Terroir

Alluvial gravel terracesSilt loam capFree-draining soilsLimestone-flecked gravels

The prize is the Martinborough Terrace: an ancient river terrace of up to 20 metres of free-draining alluvial gravels under a shallow cap of silt loam. Vines struggle just enough, rooting deep and yielding little. Across the Huangarua river, the slightly higher Te Muna Road district adds limestone-flecked gravels of its own.

Typical Aromas

dark cherryblack plumdried herbsblack teaforest floorspice box
Explore the aroma wheel

More in New Zealand

Central Otago

Central Otago

Gisborne

Gisborne

Hawke's Bay

Hawke's Bay

Marlborough

Marlborough

Nelson

Nelson

North Canterbury

North Canterbury

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes Martinborough wine special?▼
Pinot Noir with real pedigree from a village you can walk across. In 1980 a scientific report flagged the free-draining terrace east of town as Burgundy-like, and pioneers like Ata Rangi and Dry River planted it on faith. Windy flowering keeps the crops tiny, so the wines are dark, savoury, and concentrated in a way that made collectors take New Zealand Pinot seriously. Most cellar doors sit within strolling distance of the leafy village square, which makes it one of the loveliest wine weekends anywhere.
What are the best Martinborough vintages?▼
2021 is the recent standout: spring frost slashed the crop and the wines are dark, intense, and built to age. 2019, 2020, 2024, and 2025 are all excellent, dry settled seasons that gave complete, perfumed Pinot. 2015 is a lovely older year from another tiny crop. The trickier vintages were 2017 and 2023, both cool and wet, which produced lighter, earlier-drinking wines.
What grapes are grown in Martinborough?▼
Pinot Noir rules, covering most of the vineyard area and carrying the region's reputation. Sauvignon Blanc comes second in a riper, stonier style than Marlborough, especially from the Te Muna Road district where Craggy Range built its name. There are also small, serious plantings of Pinot Gris, Riesling, and Chardonnay that thrive in the cool, dry climate.
How does Martinborough compare to Central Otago?▼
They are New Zealand's two great Pinot rivals with very different personalities. Central Otago's semi-continental extremes give darker, more opulent cherry-fruited wines, while Martinborough's windswept terrace gives something more savoury and structured, with dried herbs, black tea, and earth alongside the fruit. If Central Otago leans toward richness, Martinborough leans toward Burgundian restraint. Tasting them side by side is one of the great New Zealand wine evenings.
What food pairs well with Martinborough Pinot Noir?▼
Duck is the classic, whether confit or roasted with cherries. The wines' savoury depth also loves roast lamb with rosemary, wild venison, and anything with mushrooms, from a simple tart to a rich risotto. With a few years of age, a bottle alongside soft washed-rind cheese is a quietly perfect ending to dinner.

Map data: GI boundaries from the IPONZ Geographical Indications Register (Crown copyright, CC BY 4.0) · LINZ NZ Suburbs and Localities (CC BY 4.0) · District outlines © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL)