2024 Oraterra Pinot Noir | Martinborough, NZ | 95 Points

🏆 Triple 95 Points | An Extraordinary New Star of Martinborough Pinot Noir

From Oraterra – The Exciting New Venture Led by Former Dry River Winemaker Wilco Lam

95 Points – Halliday Wine Companion | 95 Points – The Wine Front | 95 Points – The Real Review

Historic Martinborough Vineyards | A New Benchmark in New Zealand Pinot Noir

2024 Oraterra Pinot Noir

Martinborough, Wairarapa, New Zealand

95 Points – Halliday Wine Companion

95 Points – The Wine Front

95 Points – The Real Review

RRP $124

Every now and then, a new winery comes along that makes serious wine lovers pay attention.

Oraterra is one of those wineries.

And when you discover who's behind it, the excitement becomes understandable.

Former Dry River winemaker Wilco Lam, whose work helped shape some of Martinborough's most respected wines, is now leading an exciting new chapter in New Zealand winemaking.

The result is Oraterra.

A winery with a deep respect for the land, an uncompromising approach to viticulture and an ambition to produce wines of extraordinary character.

And the 2024 Oraterra Pinot Noir is a remarkable introduction.

THREE CRITICS. THREE 95-POINT SCORES.

95 POINTS – HALLIDAY WINE COMPANION

95 POINTS – THE WINE FRONT

95 POINTS – THE REAL REVIEW

This is Pinot Noir that deserves serious attention.

Tasting Notes – Perfume, Purity and Extraordinary Complexity

Great Martinborough Pinot Noir has an unmistakable personality.

It combines the perfume and elegance of fine Pinot Noir with a darker, more savoury character that can make the region's finest wines so compelling.

The 2024 Oraterra Pinot Noir sits beautifully within that tradition.

Expect an expressive combination of:

• Dark cherry and wild strawberry

• Black raspberry and red plum

• Rose petals and violets

• Dried herbs and thyme

• Forest floor and earthy complexity

• Subtle clove and cinnamon

• Fine savoury spice

• Gentle cedar notes

• Mineral undertones

The aromatics are captivating.

Red and dark berry fruits mingle with florals, spice and subtle earthy complexity.

The palate combines beautiful fruit concentration with a wonderfully refined structure.

Silky. Fragrant. Savoury. Precise.

There's richness, but never heaviness.

The tannins provide a fine, persistent framework, while fresh acidity carries the fruit through a long, beautifully balanced finish.

This is Pinot Noir that rewards attention.

The more time you spend with it, the more interesting it becomes.

Triple 95-Point Acclaim

There is something particularly reassuring about a wine receiving outstanding recognition from three different critics.

Each brings a different perspective.

But all three have arrived at the same conclusion.

95 Points – Halliday Wine Companion

An outstanding rating from one of Australia's most respected wine publications.

95 Points – The Wine Front

Further recognition from a publication renowned for its detailed, independent wine criticism.

95 Points – The Real Review

Another outstanding assessment, reinforcing the quality of this Martinborough release.

95 | 95 | 95 POINTS

Three excellent scores for a wine from a relatively new label.

That's a serious achievement.

Oraterra – The Dry River Connection

To understand why Oraterra is so exciting, you need to understand its origins.

For decades, Dry River has been one of the most celebrated names in New Zealand wine.

Its Pinot Noir helped establish Martinborough's reputation for producing wines of extraordinary depth, perfume and longevity.

And Wilco Lam was an important part of that story.

After his time at Dry River, Lam embarked on a new project built around an equally ambitious vision.

A winery where vineyard health, soil vitality and minimal intervention would form the foundations of the wines.

That project became:

ORATERRA.

The name evokes the idea of golden earth, reflecting the importance of the vineyard and the living soils beneath it.

It's an exciting philosophy.

But ultimately, what matters is what's in the glass.

And the 2024 Pinot Noir demonstrates why this is a producer worth following.

Martinborough – One of the Southern Hemisphere's Great Pinot Noir Regions

Martinborough is a relatively small wine region at the southern end of New Zealand's North Island.

But its reputation is enormous.

The region has become internationally recognised for producing Pinot Noir with exceptional concentration, complexity and ageing potential.

Why?

A combination of:

Cool-climate growing conditions.

Long ripening seasons.

Ancient river gravels.

Low-vigour vineyard sites.

Experienced growers and winemakers.

The famous Martinborough Terrace is particularly important.

Its free-draining alluvial soils encourage vines to develop deep root systems, while the cool climate helps preserve acidity and aromatic freshness.

The best wines combine generosity with extraordinary definition.

And that's what makes Martinborough so compelling.

Historic Vineyards – The McCreanor Connection

One of the fascinating elements of Oraterra is its association with the historic McCreanor Vineyard.

Originally planted in 1986, the vineyard has a long history of producing high-quality Martinborough fruit.

Over the decades, its grapes have been associated with respected names including Martinborough Vineyard and Escarpment.

The property subsequently became known through the On Giant's Shoulders label.

Today, it forms an important part of Oraterra's vineyard story.

Established vines and decades of experience in the region provide an exceptional foundation for producing serious Pinot Noir.

And with Wilco Lam's understanding of Martinborough, that combination is enormously exciting.

A Vineyard-First Philosophy

Oraterra places enormous importance on the health of its vineyards.

Organic, biodynamic and regenerative farming principles are central to its approach.

The goal is to create healthy, biologically active soils and vines that express their environment as naturally as possible.

Rather than trying to impose a particular style through winemaking, the philosophy is to allow the vineyard to shape the finished wine.

For Pinot Noir, that's especially important.

Few grape varieties are as sensitive to their growing conditions.

Small differences in soil, exposure, climate and vine balance can have an enormous influence on the finished wine.

And that's precisely what makes great Pinot Noir so fascinating.

The 2024 Martinborough Vintage

The 2024 vintage provided an encouraging combination of ripeness and freshness in Martinborough.

A favourable summer and autumn allowed growers to achieve good flavour development while retaining the natural acidity so important to the region's finest wines.

For Pinot Noir, that balance is everything.

Too much ripeness and the wine can lose its perfume and definition.

Too little and it can lack depth.

The best examples find the sweet spot between concentration and elegance.

And Oraterra's impressive critical reception suggests the 2024 has achieved exactly that.

For Lovers of Great Burgundy

If you're passionate about Pinot Noir from:

Gevrey-Chambertin

Chambolle-Musigny

Volnay

Vosne-Romanée

or the finest producers of:

Central Otago

Mornington Peninsula

Yarra Valley

and Tasmania,

then Oraterra should be on your radar.

Not because it's trying to imitate Burgundy.

But because it shares the same fundamental ambition.

To produce Pinot Noir with:

Perfume.

Purity.

Complexity.

Texture.

Balance.

And a genuine sense of place.

This is precisely the kind of wine that makes exploring the world's great Pinot Noir regions so rewarding.

Food Pairings

Great Pinot Noir is one of the most versatile red wines at the table.

The 2024 Oraterra would be a beautiful partner for:

• Roast duck breast

• Duck confit

• Wild mushroom risotto

• Roast chicken

• Venison

• Lamb loin

• Pork tenderloin

• Truffle pasta

• Mushroom tart

• Aged Comté

• Gruyère

Personally, I'd love this with roast duck and wild mushrooms.

The richness of the duck, the earthy complexity of the mushrooms and the perfume of the Pinot Noir would make a magnificent combination.

Cellaring Potential

This is a Pinot Noir with the balance and structure to reward careful cellaring.

While it should offer plenty of enjoyment in its youth, its fruit concentration, acidity and tannin structure suggest further development is likely.

Suggested drinking window: 2026–2034+.

Over time, the primary cherry and berry characters may develop towards dried flowers, forest floor, truffle, spice and savoury complexity.

For anyone who enjoys watching serious Pinot Noir evolve, this is an exciting wine to follow.

Why We Love It

Because this is exactly the sort of producer we love introducing to wine enthusiasts.

A fascinating new winery.

An exceptionally experienced winemaker.

Historic Martinborough vineyards.

A commitment to thoughtful farming.

And a Pinot Noir that has already attracted outstanding critical recognition.

Look at what you're getting:

2024 Vintage

Martinborough, New Zealand

Wilco Lam – Former Dry River Winemaker

Historic Vineyard Heritage

Organic & Biodynamic Farming Philosophy

95 Points – Halliday Wine Companion

95 Points – The Wine Front

95 Points – The Real Review

And:

RRP $124

This is a wine for people who love great Pinot Noir.

People who appreciate elegance as much as concentration.

People who value perfume, texture and complexity.

And people who enjoy discovering the next generation of outstanding producers.

2024 ORATERRA PINOT NOIR

Martinborough, New Zealand

95 POINTS – HALLIDAY WINE COMPANION

95 POINTS – THE WINE FRONT

95 POINTS – THE REAL REVIEW

RRP $124

Dark cherry. Wild berries. Rose petals. Savoury spice. Fine tannins. Extraordinary elegance.

THREE 95-POINT SCORES. ONE OF MARTINBOROUGH'S MOST EXCITING NEW PINOT NOIRS.

If you love serious Pinot Noir from Burgundy, Central Otago or Australia's finest cool-climate regions, Oraterra deserves a place in your cellar.