Finding Clarity in New Zealand Pinot Noir, Plus Oregon’s Consistent Chardonnays

It was all about great pinot noir and chardonnay from New Zealand and Oregon as we kicked off our January tastings, which were focused on wines that emphasize clarity, balance and site expression over scale. Drawn from a broader pool of notes, the week underscores how consistently these two regions are delivering at the top end, particularly in varieties that reward restraint and precision.

New Zealand set the tone, led by wines from Martinborough, the small and tightly knit wine region at the southern end of the North Island. The area’s limited scale is reflected in the wines tasted, which favor definition and structure rather than overt power.

The tiny-production Dry River Pinot Noir Martinborough Dry River Estate 2024 (99 points) was clearly at the front of the pack. Made from just a single barrel that produced slightly more than 300 bottles, the wine was produced with a berry-by-berry selection of the best fruit by winemaker Ben McNab. The fruit came largely from 40-year-old vines of pommard and Clone 5. The result: a pinot noir of depth and transparency, combining concentration with freshness and length rather than weight. The only disappointment is its scarcity, but as a reference point for the vintage and region, it framed the rest of the week’s tastings.

Other Martinborough wines reinforced the impression of a vintage built on structure and detail. Pinot noirs leaned savory and composed, while chardonnays showed tension and mineral drive, reflecting both the maturity of the vineyards and a continued shift toward restrained, site-driven winemaking.

Oregon forms the other pillar of this report, particularly in chardonnay. The Willamette Valley again showed depth and consistency at the top end. The Bergström Chardonnay Willamette Valley Sigrid 2023 (97 points) stood out for its breadth and polish, combining ripe fruit with control and balance. The Domaine Drouhin Chardonnay Willamette Valley Dundee Hills Édition Limitée 2024 (97) followed closely, offering finesse and layered texture with a clear sense of place. Together, they highlight a regional style that favors proportion and length over immediate impact.

Other Oregon chardonnays also performed strongly across the Willamette Valley. Both the Cristom Chardonnay Willamette Valley Eola-Amity Hills Royer Vineyard 2023 (95) and Seven Springs Vineyard 2023 (95) delivers a savory, structured profile with firmness and length, while the Domaine Divio Chardonnay Willamette Valley Yamhill-Carlton Gregory Ranch Vineyard 2023 (94) leans toward tension and mineral clarity.

The Domaine Roy Chardonnay Dundee Hills Iron Filbert Vineyard 2024 (95) emphasizes purity and precision, and the Domaine Serene Chardonnay Dundee Hills Evenstad Reserve 2023 (96) adds breadth and texture without excess weight. The Appassionata Vineyards Chardonnay Willamette Valley Appassionata 2021 (95) rounded out the group with a restrained, fruit-driven style that remains focused and composed. Taken together, these wines reinforce the sense that Oregon chardonnay is increasingly confident in its range of expressions rather than converging on a single dominant style.

Germany added an important counterpoint to the week’s tastings, particularly through a small group of rieslings from the Middle Mosel. Wines from Bernkastel’s Weingut Wwe. Dr. H. Thanisch stood out for their balance and definition, showing concentration without heaviness and freshness without sharpness. The top examples emphasize clarity of fruit and site, with finely tuned sweetness levels and precise acidity, reinforcing why the estate remains a reference point in the Mosel. These are wines that combine immediate appeal with the structure for graceful aging.

Across regions, the strongest wines shared a common thread. Alcohol, oak and extraction were generally held in check, and even at the upper end of the scoring range the wines were defined by proportion rather than ambition. These are bottlings that feel complete and resolved, with site and vintage clearly at the forefront.

Also worth your time this week are several additional Willamette Valley chardonnays, all scoring in the mid-90s, that reinforce the region’s depth beyond flagship cuvees, as well as more Martinborough pinot noirs that offer compelling snapshots of vintage and place, even if they lack the concentration of the top wine.

– Contributions from James Suckling, Courtney Humiston, Jacobo García Andrade and Stuart Pigott.

The list of wines below is comprised of bottles tasted and rated during the past week by James Suckling and the other tasters at JamesSuckling.com. They include many latest releases not yet available on the market, but which will be available soon. Some will be included in upcoming tasting reports.

Note: You can sort the wines below by country, vintage, score and alphabetically by winery name. You can also search for specific wines in the search bar.