Palliser Estate is one of the pioneers of Martinborough, a region that today is synonymous with premium wine ‒ especially Pinot Noir. It was established in the 1980s by a group of passionate wine and business enthusiasts who went on to become shareholders. Brought together by Wyatt Creech (later an MP and Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand) and Falcon Clouston, with long-time managing director Richard Riddiford and winemaker Alan Johnston as key drivers, it has since become one of the leading producers on the Martinborough Terrace. Since 2015 and with a new generation of leadership led by CEO Pip Goodwin and followed by winemaker/viticulturalist Guy McMaster, Palliser continues to evolve the ‘premiumisation’ of its wines. With a conversion to organic viticulture and a sustainable-focused philosophy, the results are showing in elegant, award-winning wines that are a pure expression of place. We talked with Guy McMaster. 〈Interviewer: Dion Lenting, Kiwi Copy, April 2025〉 I was a latecomer to the wine industry. I went to Lincoln (University) and did a Bachelor of Agricultural Commerce in the early 80s,majoring in horticultural management. While working as a commercial property valuer, I valued some of the Montana vineyards which piqued my interest in wine. At the age of 38, and with a family on the way, I went back to university and did a post-graduate degree in Viticulture and Oenology at Lincoln University ‒ a risk, but we knew it was the right thing to do. I started working in the early 2000s at the Escarpment Vineyard with Larry McKenna (the first experienced winemaker to work in Martinborough who made the first Palliser wine in 1989), was there for seven years, then moved to the Gladstone region as winemaker/viticulturalist at Urlar, a biodynamic/organic brand. In 2015, Pip (Goodwin, CEO at Palliser) approached me about joining Palliser and taking them on the organic journey. With six wonderful vineyards all spread around the Terrace, I saw it as a great opportunity to embrace organics and realise the full potential of those sites. What sets Martinborough apart is its premium Pinot Noir ‒ it is the northern extremity of where it is grown in New Zealand. We are an open valley to the south, so are impacted by the southerly winds coming up from the South Island. This affects flowering, so yields are about a half of those in Marlborough. For Sauvignon Blanc we get 10 tonnes per hectare to their 20, and four tonnes of Pinot Noir to their eight. As a result of this lower yield, we have a smaller, looser bunch architecture, because flowering hasn’t really been complete. Then, after the southerlies, we get very strong northwest winds coming over the Tararua Range. When the berries are very young they grow thick skins with a lot of tannins, we believe in response to these strong winds. When you look at New Zealand Pinot Noir, the wines out of Martinborough are built on a tannin structure, whereas the wines from New Zealand’s other premium Pinot Noir region, Central Otago, are built on an acid structure. With an acid structure, the wines are very plush and fruit forward, which is lovely. But ours tend to be built more on a tannin structure, which makes them more savoury. These elevated tannin levels are what CODE12988Palliser Estate Pencarrow Chardonnay 2023 (Screw Cap)Varietal: Chardonnay Alc. 12.6%RRP ￥3,650Fruit from the Woolshed 97% and Pinnacles Vineyards 3% is fermented and aged in French oak for 10 months. Lees stirring adds complexity. The bright, sparkling fruitiness, creamy mouthfeel, and spicy nuances make for a perfect summer drink. CODE12987Palliser Estate Martinborough Chardonnay 2023 (Screw Cap)Varietal: Chardonnay Alc. 12.9%sets Martinborough apart ‒ a more complex, savoury, earthy Pinot Noir compared to Pinot’s from Central Otago. It’s a remarkably interesting terrace, with dramatic changes in a very short distance. It’s elevated with very free-draining river gravels around the edge, then, as you move off the edge towards the center of town, there is more clay. At the front of the terrace the river gravels are about 11 meters deep, 25 meters mid-way, and 40 meters deep at the top. Our certified organic Hua Nui Vineyard (map ❹), which is only six hectares in size, sits in the middle of the terrace, with 24 meters of free-draining river gravel. Halfway through that block as you move away from the terrace edge, it lifts by another meter, and starts picking up small flecks of clay. We now pick the different blocks separately, and get stronger fruit expression from the shingle and free-draining section, and more weight and texture from the clay section. This clay seam is evident through the whole terrace, so every site is very different, and this makes Martinborough quite special in that it isn’t homogenous soil. Every little vineyard, even one hectare, can have that variation in it… it makes winemaking here exciting and challenging. Our focus is on continually maximizing the potential of our Martinborough sites to produce more premium quality wine. Organics is critically important to truly express site; it allows you to achieve a balance in the vine that you don’t get in conventionally farmed sites. Currently 60 per cent of our vineyards are certified organic by BioGro, making Palliser the largest organic grower in the Wairarapa, and we’re aiming for BioGro certification of all our vineyards by 2026.Organic conversion required a total change of management in the vineyard ‒ you can’t use insecticides, systemic fungicides, or herbicides. Instead of herbicides, we under-vine cultivate. To replace insecticides, we plant wildflowers between the rows - crops of phacelia (the flower on the cover of this catalogue) and buckwheat which attract a little wasp that controls caterpillars. For fungicides, we use sulphur spray which is organic, but requires regular spraying, especially after wet weather.RRP ￥4,500Hand-picked fruit from the Woolshed 60% and Om Santi Vineyards 40% are whole-bunch pressed and then aged in French oak. Concentrated stone fruit and oak flavours, mineral nuances and powerful acidity. CODE12413Varietal: Chardonnay 100％ Alc. 13.7％RRP ￥7,500Organically grown fruit is hand-picked from a single cool, well-drained vineyard, whole-bunch pressed, naturally fermented and aged in French oak. Aromas of white peach and nectarine with a hint of vanilla, with elegant oyster shell minerality.Prices do not include Consumption Tax. RRP= Recommended Retail Price.Village Cellars Wine Catalogue 2025SummerQ. How did you come to winemaking and Martinborough?Q. What makes the Martinborough region unique?Q. And the Martinborough Terrace soils?Q. How have you evolved in the vineyard, to produce more premium wines? －8－Palliser Estate Om Santi Vineyards Chardonnay 2021 (Screw Cap)The Evolution of a Martinborough iconGuy McMaster（winemaker/viticulturalist）Our feature story : Palliser Estate （Martinborough, New Zealand）
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