The Elder Pinot

The Elder Pinot is a small but world-class Martinborough wine producer, formed of a partnership between the Elder and Hanson families. Their philosophy is to make single vineyard wines of compromised quality, using only estate grown fruit from the best vintages. Mike and Margaret Hanson spent a long time searching for the perfect piece of land. They set out to buy five acres but in 1996 fell in love with thirty, which is now the location of the Hanson Vineyard.

The vineyard is located at the Southern end of the Te Muna Valley, at the confluence of the Ruakokopatuna and Makara rivers, over-looking the Craggy Range and Escarpment vineyards, but on a significantly more elevated terrace. The Canoes (Nga Waka a Kupe) to the east and Birch Hill to the south provide idyllic views and shelter for the vines, while creating a favourable low-frost climate. It is a truly amazing site with a unique terroir and stunning views. The soil structure is elevated ancient river bed over large limestone boulders. It is seriously stony, with very low fertility and a notable mineral element. 

Planted in 80% Pinot Noir and 20% Pinot Gris, the Pinot Noir vines are 19-20 years old, spread across a number of clones, and the Pinot Gris vines are now 12-13 years old. The vineyard produces small quantities of intensely flavoured grapes and has benefited from the application of sustainable wine growing principles from the start. The progressive transition to a more organic practice will further help to nurture and bring out the best from this terroir.

The resulting wines produced are Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Rosé, all of which are highly regarded and served at many of the best restaurants in New Zealand. The wines are also exported around the world and as demand has grown, their availability is now by allocation only.