CARTER FAMILY VINEYARDS, MARLBOROUGH

WINEMAKER / PETE TURNER

5 stars
96 points

Sam Kim - Wine Orbit

review

It's refined and elegantly expressed on the nose, revealing lemon sorbet, lime peel, crisp apple, and white flower nuances. The brilliantly focused palate exhibits a linear mouthfeel, wonderfully enhanced by subtle sweetness and perfectly pitched acidity, finishing impressively long and enticing. Style: Off-dry. At its best: now to 2035.

5 stars
93 points

The Wine Writer

review

Floral orange blossom aromas, delicate, airy and perfumed, lime & lemon citrus, nectarine, with wire wool and a slight river stone mineral tone. Off-dry on the palate, with driving, racy, and building lemon sherbet-flavoured acidity, the palate has lovely weight and a rounded texture, with lingering lime leaf and white peach flavours. Fresh, lively, and a little too drinkable? With a long, citrusy finish. Mosel-esk in style - it's drinking beautifully now, fresh and young, but will develop over the next 5-6 years.

5 stars
93 points

Raymond Chan

review

Bright, even, pale yellow. The nose is expressive, with aromas of citrus, pineapple, orange zest and blossom. Medium-light bodied, off-dry to taste, aromas of kumquat and pineapple, melded with orange zest and jasmine. The citrus-laden fruit is sun-drenched with a touch of kerosene; juicy acidity flows smoothly to a moreish, mineral finish. Match with breakfast bun and bacon-wrapped scallops. Fermented to 11.5% alc.

5 stars
93 points

Candice Chow

review

This off-dry, 11.5% alc Riesling is packed with sunshine and citrus-laden fruit, intriguingly tinged with a touch of kerosene and minerals, smooth-flowing and moreish.

EXCELLENT
92 points

Cameron Douglas - MS

review

Aromas and flavours of mandarin and lime-flower, fresh white apricot and green apple. There’s a lovely seam of wet pebbles and a lick of salinity in the acidity. Off-dry with a backbone of acidity and flavours that remain persistent and strong. Well made with best drinking from 2026 through 2033+.

17.5/20

Joelle Thomson

review

A special grape variety and a special wine - Maren is the daughter of Rachael Carter; the founder and owner of Soho Wines and this fresh young, certified organic (Bio-Gro NZ) Riesling is a standout expression of Marlborough’s cooler subregion - the Awatere Valley. Aromas of lime blossom, green apple and a touch of honeysuckle reflect purity of fruit while phenolic grip adds texture and length. The finish is long and this wine drinks well now, lightly chilled, but will come into its own over the next four to five years, unfolding layers of ripe citrus flavours over that time.