Paritua is an impressive property, with a state-of-the-art winery and a sizeable 54 hectares of vineyards surrounding it, based in the Bridge Pa district of Hawke’s Bay. The vineyard was planted in 2003 and 2004 by the original owners, Brianne and Gary Fisher.
The vineyards are currently in conversion to organics. The soils are the typical redmetal gravels, which contain large amounts of iron and manganese.
Winemaker Jason Stent has been here for 10 years; prior to this he was red winemaker at Sacred Hill.
In 2011, Paritua was purchased by a group of 10 Chinese investors. As a consequence the majority of the wines are sold to China (previously the USA was the main market), and it’s perhaps because of the taste for riper wines in both these markets that the Paritua reds are made in quite a ripe style. But they still have balance.
Paritua Chardonnay 2013 Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand
$42. Whole-bunch pressing and high solids fermentation. They have tried wild ferments here but they haven’t really worked. 85% Clone 15 and 15% clone 95. 40% new oak, and half the barrels are 500 litre. Textured and refined with bold citrus, pear and white peach fruit. Nicely savoury with some slight saltiness and a touch of cream. Has a bit of development but still really fresh, finishing a bit pithy. Refined. 93/100
Paritua Chardonnay 2014 Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand
This has some warm peachiness and a touch of vanilla. There’s nice dense pear fruit with a bit of citrus framing on the palate. There’s a freshness to this with a fine spicy streak. Ripe but with lovely balance and framing, and a faint hint of whisky on the finish. 93/100
Paritua Syrah 2013 Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand
$49. Mainly Chave clone, which can be savoury and meaty (most use the mass selection Limmer clone that tends to be more fruity). Beautifully aromatic with lovely floral red fruits and some black pepper. The palate has a bit of grunt with nice meatiness and some lovely peppery detail. This has a lovely balance between the bright fruit and the savoury notes. Very stylish wine. 94/100
Paritua Syrah 2014 Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand
Sweetly aromatic with nice sweet liqueur-like cherry fruit. Sweet, berryish palate with a rounded, supple red fruit personality. Very sweetly fruited, heading into jammy territory. Still appealing but verging on over-ripe. There’s a nice sanguine character, though. 92/100
Paritua Syrah 2015 Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand
This is so lovely. Taut and dense, but also really fresh with some peppery hints alongside the sweet black cherry and raspberry fruit. There’s freshness and tension, but also a harmony to the wine. Has lots of potential for development. So lovely. 95/100
Paritua Red 2013 Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand
$49. 47 M, 37 CS, 13 CF, 3 Mal. A vineyard blend, Merlot dominant. Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc vary from season to season. Complex, rich and quite refined with bold, sweet yet fresh blackberry and black cherry fruit. There’s a lushness and generosity here, with plenty of ripeness, but it avoids heading into jammy territory. Good structure, and just beginning to develop a little. 93/100
Paritua Red 2014 Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand
15% alcohol. 60 M, 26 CS, 14 CF. Ripe, sweet, mellow and lush. Showing a bit of development and a nice seamless berry fruits character. Hints of mint, too. Satisfying in a ripe, chunky style, but with some polish, too. But over-ripe: the Merlot was picked too late in this year. 89/100
Paritua Red 2015 Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand
75 M, 19 CS, 6 CF. 40% new oak, all barriques. This is an impressive, ripe wine with lush, sweet blackberry and blackcurrant fruit. There’s a softness to the mid-palate but also some good structure and freshness. A concentrated with with just a hint of mint and spicy oak, with lots of potential, and perhaps just flirting with over-ripeness. 93/100
Paritua 2112 2013 Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand
$130 retail. 60% CS, 30% Merlot, 10% CF. Aromatic, floral blackcurrant fruit nose. Great concentration of ripe, sleek fruit on the palate with smooth blackcurrant fruit and some gravelly, chalky structure. Polished and sophisticated, this has some hints of olive and brine savouriness. Impressive effort. 93/100
Paritua 2112 2014 Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand
54% CS, 27% Merlot, 19% CF. This is ripe, warm and spicy with nice depth and intensity. Sweet raspberries and cherries with some blackcurrant. Showing some development and a salty finish. Very attractive in a ripe, slightly developed style. 91/100
Paritua 2112 2105 Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand
52 CS, 31 M, 17 CF, bottled in April. Fresh and intense with good structure and nice acidity. Structured and fresh with lovely supple blackcurrant fruit. Very fine and expressive with brightness, concentration and intensity. 94/100
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HAWKES BAY
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- Ant Mackenzie, Craft Farm
- Ash Ridge
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- Sileni and their Pinot Noirs
- Paritua
- Clearview Estate
- De La Terre
- Trinity Hill
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