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Lawson’s Dry Hills 2009 Marlborough Gewurztraminer
 During the Christmas break I visited Marlborough, and one of the wineries I called into was Lawson’s Dry Hills. The particular day I was there, the winery and indeed all of Marlborough was anything but dry. The reason I chose to visit Lawson’s on a day it was possibly better to stay in the motel room or head somewhere else, was that their range of wines tends to range from very good to excellent and since I had friends from overseas with me, I wanted to showcase what this region has to offer.
Lawson’s Dry Hills is a family owned Marlborough winery particularly renowned for its aromatic whites, like this 2009 Gewurztraminer. Situated at the foot of the dry Wither Hills, behind Blenheim, and adjacent to their winery, the Lawson’s and Woodward vineyards consistently produce intensely flavoured Gewurztraminer grapes.
The 2009 season was a perfect growing season for these grapes. After flowering, both parcels were shoot thinned and lightly leaf plucked to improve sun exposure. Post veraison, late bunches were also removed to help achieve even ripening. The fruit was picked in three parcels, with the later two parcels being used for this wine.
Back at the winery, the fruit was gently pressed with minimal skin contact. The resulting juice was fermented in stainless steel tanks with selected aromatics yeasts. The pressings from each parcel were fermented in older French oak barriques to add complexity. Post ferment, the wine matured on yeast lees for three months prior to blending.
I found the vibrant aromas of lemon zest, orange marmalade, candyfloss, fresh herbs and spring blossoms to leap from the glass of this straw coloured Gewurztraminer. On the palate, I found the 2009 Lawson’s Dry Hills Marlborough Gewurztraminer to exhibit flavours of ginger, lemon, mandarin, grapefruit, Turkish delight and exotic spice with a slight hint of stone-fruit in the long, lingering finish. Its gentle acidity is well balanced by a hint of sweetness It has a rich mouthfeel and excellent concentration of flavours.
I would recommend trying this Gewürztraminer with a spicy Chinese dish or a good Thai curry. I would also expect this wine to cellar well, mature and add to its complexity for up to six years. It may prove too tempting to drink before then however.
Reviewed by Stephen Clark (7/2/2011)
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