Winemaker Notes
Critical Acclaim
All Vintages
Economic and environmental sustainability are Urlar's driving principals. These practices are about giving life back to the soil and managing the vineyard as a balanced sustainable unit. This includes organic practices such as recycling through composts and liquid manures and increasing plant biodiversity. Using the biodynamic farming and gardening calendar, the rhythmic influences of the sun, moon, planets and stars are recognized and worked where possible. This commitment has been recognized and rewarded recently when they won the Hills Harvest and Gallagher Innovation Awards. The result is beautiful, clean, true wines that have not impacted negatively on the soil as they have been crafted.
At the southern end of the North Island about an hour drive from New Zealand’s capital city of Wellington, Wairarapa’s producers are mainly small-scale, lifestyle winemakers. The region holds less than 3% of the country’s acreage under vine but nearly one tenth of its winemakers.
Considering topography, soil and climate, Wairarapa is similar to Marlborough except that it is better at producing Pinot noir. Martinborough is a main subregion.
Capable of a vast array of styles, Sauvignon Blanc is a crisp, refreshing variety that equally reflects both terroir and varietal character. Though it can vary depending on where it is grown, a couple of commonalities always exist—namely, zesty acidity and intense aromatics. This variety is of French provenance. Somm Secret—Along with Cabernet Franc, Sauvignon Blanc is a proud parent of Cabernet Sauvignon. That green bell pepper aroma that all three varieties share is no coincidence—it comes from a high concentration of pyrazines (herbaceous aromatic compounds) inherent to each member of the family.