About The Wine
Dry River is one of the premier producers of Pinot Noir in New Zealand.
This, their iconic estate release, is one of the country's most collectable and bankable Pinot Noir wines. It's a concentrated (in the context of Pinot Noir), robust wine that is made to cellar.
From a biodynamic farm established in 1979, this regional icon remains at the front of the pack for New Zealand's top wine producers.
About Dry River
The name Dry River carries an historical significance as the name of one of the earliest Wairarapa sheep stations (ca. 1877). This was later sold off by the Seddon government and renamed Dyerville, leaving the renamed Waihora River (circa 1900) and the renamed Dyerville Rd (1994) - both after Dry River - as the only reminders of this part of our pastoral farming history
In 1979 Neil and Dawn McCallum planted a vineyard a few kilometres from Dyerville in a very dry, gravely and free-draining area now called the 'Martinborough Terrace' and they took the name Dry River for the vineyard and wines in what was to become another chapter of Martinborough's farming history. Their dream was to produce individual, high quality regional wines which faithfully reflect the 'terroir', vintage and are suitable for cellaring.
Martinborough, NZ
From The Producer
The 2017 growing conditions were nearly identical to the 2014 vintage, in numbers. The flowering conditions were sub-optimal, which caused some patchy fruit set and lowered the potential yield. This might have been a blessing since in the second half of the summer we experienced lower sunshine hours due to continuous cloud cover, and higher winds, which subsequently slowed down ripening conditions.
The presence of adequate heat, but a lack of sunshine (UV-light) brings out previously un-seen characters in our Dry River Pinot noir. We usually utilise sunlight to our advantage to benefit both tannin and aromatic accumulation. Provided we pick at their peak, we can gently extract these characters during fermentation. This year we had to delay picking by seven to ten days and thus had to work a little harder to extract the desired components in the winery, resulting in a more approachable, sappy rich wine, full of flavour.
Blend : Pinot Noir (100%)
ABV : 12.50%
Closure : Screw Cap
Drink Until : 2035
Bottle Size : 750ml
Critic Reviews
"The nose is very attractive, with a perfume-like finesse and a lighter than usual appearance. A fresh, complex and floral nose shows Christmas lilies, violets and honeysuckle. There are the hallmark, darker Dry River characters of fruit of the forest, plum and berry compote, mixed with a gentle touch of oak. Upon first approach the wine is soft and broad, with ripe, almost sweet fruit characters on the front of the palate. The intricate and round tannins have a mature presence with seamless integrated oak, something we would normally only see after two to three years. Towards the mid palate the wine is gaining power with a dynamic force, presumably a combination of the fruit and tannin density, governed through a radiant acidity. The structured finish is long and abundant in fruit, lingering to ponder the interest in the typicity of the vintage." - Dry River
"Slightly peppery, but also deliciously floral and inviting, with a mix of red and black fruits, and what might be called a strong, gently earthy ferrous thing going on. It’s pure and clean, the acidity pitch-perfect, fine white pepper tannin, energy and clarity, and a long stony finish with wafts of perfume trailing. It’s the quiet ones you have to watch…" - Gary Walsh (The Wine Front)
Delivery is Free for any order over $149 or more, or just $10 for any orders of $149 or less. There is no minimum order quantity and you can mix and match as much as you like. Make your perfect mixed pack!
Sydney Metro orders will be delivered the next day 5 days per week, Monday through Friday. We can guarantee delivery before Christmas as long as you get your order in by midnight 23rd of December. Please refer to this map to see if your address is considered Sydney Metro here.
Melbourne Metro orders are picked up from our Sydney warehouse every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday and delivered the following day in Melbourne (Tues/Wed/Fri). We can guarantee delivery before Christmas as long as you get your order in by 10am 22nd of December. Please refer to this map to see if your address is considered Melbourne Metro here.
Brisbane Metro orders are picked up from our Sydney warehouse every Wednesday and delivered the following day in Brisbane (Thursday or Friday). We can guarantee delivery before Christmas as long as you get your order in by 10am 22nd of December. Please refer to this map to see if your address is considered Brisbane Metro here.
Australia Wide Deliveries outside of Sydney and Melbourne metro are all delivered with Australia Post's eParcel wine delivery service. They pick up from us at 12pm Monday through Friday. When your order has been dispatched you'll receive tracking information to your email. Unfortunately with the complications of Covid and expected Christmas surge Australia Post are being extremely vague about delivery times. You will need to have your order placed before midnight 10th of December if you want to ensure it’s there for Christmas.
Authority to Leave and other delivery instructions can be left in the ‘SPECIAL REQUESTS’ box during checkout. The 'SPECIAL REQUESTS' box can be found on the here page before the final checkout page.
Warehouse Pickup is available at our Sydney warehouse at 3 Fig, Ultimo, 2007. You are not able to browse our warehouse shelves and we are not licenced to sell over the counter, so please place your order online or over the phone before arriving. Feel free to call on arrival on 1300 668 385 and we can bring your order out to your vehicle.
Express Same Day Delivery is available for Sydney postcodes within 10km of the CBD. There is a $10 delivery surcharge and the order needs to be placed before 12pm midday.
Our Heat Policy can be viewed here. If you would like us to hold dispatch of your order for milder weather please leave instructions to do so in the 'SPECIAL REQUESTS' box found on the cart page before the final checkout. We are happy to hold it for as long as you like. All orders are fully insured so you can buy with full confidence that these tasty beverages will get to you in tip-top shape.
Returns are free for 100 days after purchase. You can view the conditions of our return policy here
For any other shipping related inquiries, please see our helpful FAQ, email us at hello@differentdrop.com or call us on 1300 668 385..
Do I have to order in dozens? No, please mix it up! You can order wines in any quantity and variation you like. You can order 1 bottle or 50. We challenge you to make the ultimate mixed pack of wine!
Are there volume discounts? No, our pricing is designed to be the best in market already - no marking up and then discounting down! For very large orders (weddings, etc) we are open to negotiating though. Just give us a call.
Do we price match? Yes, within reason. Everyday low & consistent pricing is something we strongly believe in. We want our customers to feel confident they are always getting the best price. If you see a price lower somewhere else let us know and we'll consider matching it. We'll even retrospectively issue you store credit if you have already purchased from us but you see a lower price somewhere later on. Our price match policy can be seen here.
Can coupons and discounts be stacked? No, only one discount or coupon can be applied to an order at once.
I am trying to add more of a wine to my cart but it won’t let me? This means we are running low on stock of that wine. So for example, if the website will only allow you to add 3 bottles and no more, then that is all we have of that particular wine. The good news is we may be able to order more for you. Just contact us on 1300 668 385 or hello@differentdrop.com and we'll organise the additional quantity for you.
Does Different Drop have a physical store? No. More of a warehouse/office. We do however offer a Click & Collect option from our warehouse in Ultimo, Sydney. Our warehouse address for Click & Collect is: 3 Fig St, Ultimo, 2007/ Please make sure you have placed your order before arriving at the warehouse
Can I special order a wine you do not sell? If it’s doable, then we’ll make it happen. Just contact us directly via phone, chat or email and we’ll find out for you right away. Please note that in most cases special orders such as these will need to be in full case lots (6 or 12 bottles).
More FaQs: here
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