The Drylands Story
Majestic Land
Rugged mountains fringed by a pristine coastline, glacial valleys that
help create free-draining soils and a series of individual microclimates… when
the wine world thinks of New Zealand, their first thought is Marlborough.
A winemaker’s paradise, this environment offers up an incredibly
wide selection of flavour components as the long dry summer days and
cool nights allow grapes full character development.
A valley carved by the meandering Wairau River has become the source of the region’s most acclaimed wines. It is here that an intricate pattern of gravels and silts has been laid down by centuries of river shift. The stonier soils produce a textural character in the fruit, whilst the rich alluvial silts impart aromatic and racy qualities. Often these soil variations can occur within the same row of grapes, and this defines the unique harvest of the Drylands Vineyard.
Remarkable Vineyard
New Zealand’s most innovative winery stands on land originally tamed by the pioneering Robinson family. These earliest settlers farmed here for generations, and after weathering the climactic droughts of the 1970’s they christened the 33-acre block “Drylands”. It was 1980 when Ewan Robinson brought in the area’s first grapes. Planted on their own rootstocks, the Sauvignon Blanc at Drylands’ Home Block are now some of Marlborough’s oldest established vines.
Uncompromised Craftsmanship
With a small harvest that rarely lasts more than two weeks, both time
and care run at a premium. Free-run juice is separated from pressed
juice for individual cold fermentation within twelve hours of entering
the winery.“ Intensity” defines not only the fruit characteristics,
but also the Drylands winecrafting process.
Extraordinary Wine
Master Winemaker Darryl Woolley always said he was“ searching for the best”. After 30+ years in the industry, he may have found it with Drylands. Creating and developing the“ classic” New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is a daily passion for Darryl and his team. That same pioneering approach is also reflected in their work with the Chardonnay, Dry Riesling, Pinot Gris, Merlot and Pinot Noir. In Drylands, Darryl has allowed the extraordinary character and individuality of each site’s fruit to shine through, and his exceedingly high standards for quality are evident in every bottle. It is these attributes that have become the cornerstone of Drylands.
