YWG note:The Martinborough Vineyards Pinot can even surpass Burgundy’s best. The Martinborough Vineyards Reserve 1998 Pinot Noir ($200 per bottle) beat the Domaine de la Romanee-Conti ($5000 per bottle) at a blind tasting at the international Pinot challenge in the US in March 2011. I don’t have any of the ’98 Reserve, but I do have the 2009 Martinborough Vineyards Estate Pinot and also their second label the ‘Te Tera’. The estate label has much more dense fruit and intensity and will continue to evolve for at least 10 years.   The following information is sourced from Martinborough Vineyards http://www.martinborough-vineyard.co.nz 04/08/11   In 1978 a DSIR (NZ’s version of the CSIRO) report was published that analysed which areas in New Zealand were best suited for the production of high quality wines from classical grape varieties. Based on available data at the time, the report concluded that the closest New Zealand climatic analogous to Burgundy was to be found in the small rain shadow centred on the township of Martinborough in the southern Wairarapa. This resulted in the establishment of Martinborough Vineyard in 1980. The free draining soils, hot summers and reliable long dry autumn suggested that the area was ideally suited to Burgundian style wines especially Pinot noir. One of the authors of the report, Dr Derek Milne, was so convinced of the validity of their conclusions that, together with a group of 5 other enthusiasts, bought 16 acres in the zone and started Martinborough Vineyard. Today five of the six original enthusiasts remain as the shareholders and four as directors of Martinborough Vineyard Ltd. The original vineyard was planted in Pinot noir, Chardonnay, Riesling, Sauvignon blanc and Gewurtztraminer grapes."The plan was to plant a small area and prove that great wine could be made in the district" says Duncan Milne, brother of Derek who, together with his wife Claire Campbell, are both shareholders in Martinborough Vineyard. "The trouble was, no one told us how compelling the hunt for a great Pinot noir can be and here we are, after more than twenty years more deeply involved than ever before!" The first vines were planted by Russell Schultz and Derek Milne in 1980. There followed an era of total shareholder involvement with Russell Schultz making the wine whilst the other families, grandparents to grandchildren, pitched in to help plant, pick and prune. The first commercial vintage occurred in 1984. After the 1985 vintage Russell Schultz realised he had to either commit to full time winemaking or stay with his first career as a pharmacist. "The problem" he says "is that the more you learn, the less you know. If I had chosen winemaking I would have had to go back to school. I reluctantly relinquished my dream and decided to remain a pharmacist". The directors then went out to look for a full time winemaker (the first to be employed in Martinborough). They approached Larry McKenna, a winemaker at Delegats, in Auckland. Larry, an Australian, says, "What impressed me about these people was their commitment to produce only the very finest wines". Larry's first vintage was 1986 and he took over as Chief Executive Officer from Duncan Milne in 1987. So began a passionate search for the finest New World Pinot noir that was to continue to the present day. Sub Categories Martinborough Vineyards Pinot Noir Martinborough Vineyards Sort By: Default Title - A to Z Title - Z to A Price - lowest first Price - highest first Time Added - latest first Popularity - most popular first Sales - best selling first Martinborough Vineyards Pinot Gris 2009 – 6 bottle case 95 Points YWG Excellent Quality Pinot Gris Limited... $268.80 Martinborough Vineyards Estate Pinot Noir 2009 - 6 bottle case 97 Points YWG 95 Points Bob Campbell MW Exceptional... $458.64 Ok