New Zealand · Hawke’s Bay

Paritua Vineyards

Single-vineyard Hawke’s Bay wine from Bridge Pa gravel, with Paritua Red, Stone Paddock and 21.12 showing different sides of one organically farmed site.

The producer

Paritua Vineyards sits in Hawke’s Bay’s Bridge Pa Triangle, where a 53-hectare organically farmed vineyard occupies the former bed of the Ngaruroro River. Gravel soils, gentle contours, long summers and crisp winters shape the site, while the Paritua Stream crossing the property supplies its name. Fruit from this one vineyard feeds each range, linking the label to a defined piece of ground rather than a blend of districts.

The portfolio moves from the core Paritua range to Stone Paddock and the 21.12 flagship. Paritua Red 2019 is full-bodied, with ripe fruit and oak carried by acidity, tannin and a persistent finish; Stone Paddock Syrah 2020 brings dark fruit, floral notes, spice and savoury grip. Chief winemaker Jason Stent joined in 2008 after 13 years at Sacred Hill, the same year Paritua completed its winery.

Known for

Single-vineyard Hawke’s Bay reds from Bridge Pa gravel.

Notable facts

The story

Planting Before The Winery

Paritua’s working estate began with plant material rather than a finished cellar. In 2001, rootstocks and clone material were ordered for the Bridge Pa Triangle site. Vines began arriving in 2003, and planting continued through three development phases across more than 120 acres. The winery followed in 2008, five years after the first vines arrived. That sequence also coincided with Jason Stent’s arrival as chief winemaker after 13 years at Sacred Hill Wines. The rows had been established on gravel ground in the former Ngaruroro River bed before the winery could receive fruit from the single vineyard and turn it into the Paritua, Stone Paddock and 21.12 labels.

From the atlas

Paritua Vineyards

At A Glance

The Producer

Paritua Vineyards works from one vineyard in Hawke’s Bay’s Bridge Pa Triangle rather than assembling fruit from several districts. The estate’s 53 hectares sit on gravel soils and carry the Paritua name because the Paritua Stream passes through the property. One site supplies the wines, so the Paritua, Stone Paddock and 21.12 labels begin with the same ground before moving into different bottle roles.

Place

Bridge Pa lies within Hawke’s Bay, where Paritua describes long summers and crisp winters around its gently contoured vineyard. The summer season brings ripeness to the red-wine fruit, while the cooler winter conditions sit behind a range that still values acidity and structure. On a Paritua Red label, Hawke’s Bay is therefore more than a regional address: it is the larger climate around fruit shaped further by the Bridge Pa site.

Soil And Site

The vines stand in the historical bed of the Ngaruroro River, which crossed the property before earthquakes in the 1860s altered its course. Gravel remains beneath the vineyard, while the Paritua Stream still runs through it. That old river ground is a physical part of the estate’s red wines: a single vineyard, planted on one former watercourse, supplies fruit for each named tier.

Story

Chief winemaker Jason Stent joined Paritua in 2008 after 13 years at Sacred Hill Wines. His Hawke’s Bay connection reaches back to winemaking study in 1993 and industry work from 1995. That local experience arrived as Paritua’s vineyard was becoming a working estate, bringing a winemaker with a long regional career to a site whose bottles are drawn from one organically farmed vineyard.

Vineyards And Cellar

Paritua ordered rootstocks and clone material in 2001, then received vines from 2003. More than 120 acres were planted through three development phases, and the winery was constructed in 2008. Organic certification, sustainability accreditation and vegan status apply to the estate’s approach, while the on-site winery keeps grape handling close to the vineyard.

The cellar work changes with the wine. Stone Paddock Syrah 2020 has documented élevage, while the 21.12 wine has its own recorded cellar practice and ageing guidance. The result is a range in which fruit from one vineyard can appear as a Syrah with spice and grip, a structured red blend with oak and tannin, or a longer-lived flagship blend.

Wines

The Paritua range contains the estate’s core named wines, including Paritua Red. In the 2019 vintage, that red blend is full-bodied, with fruit and oak carried by acidity, tannin and a persistent finish. It is the bottle for seeing the estate’s blended-red approach without moving immediately to its top tier.

Stone Paddock sits as a separate range, with Stone Paddock Syrah 2020 providing a more grape-specific view of the vineyard. Its Syrah character brings dark fruit, floral notes and spice, while the documented élevage adds shape around the fruit and leaves tannin for the finish. Above both ranges sits 21.12, Paritua’s flagship blend; its 2018 vintage is recommended for drinking from 2021 to 2036, placing bottle development at the centre of its role.

In The Glass

Paritua Red 2019 moves from ripe fruit and oak on the nose into a full-bodied palate. Acidity keeps the weight moving, tannin supplies grip, and the finish carries both fruit and oak rather than ending abruptly. It is a red blend built for texture as much as aroma.

Stone Paddock Syrah 2020 shifts the emphasis toward Syrah’s dark fruit, floral lift and peppery spice. The palate has body and savoury grip, with élevage adding another layer around the fruit. The 21.12 wine occupies a more cellared position in the range, with its ageing guidance signalling a bottle intended to develop beyond early-drinking fruit.

A Bottle To Understand It

Start with Paritua Red 2019. It is a Hawke’s Bay red blend from the estate’s single organically farmed vineyard, and its fruit, oak, full body, acidity and tannin show how Paritua builds a structured red without leaving the vineyard story behind. The wine’s finish carries enough grip for food and enough fruit to remain open in youth, while its place in the core Paritua range keeps the focus on the estate rather than on the flagship.

Anecdote

Paritua’s first vineyard decisions came before there was a winery. In 2001, the estate ordered rootstocks and clone material for the site in the Bridge Pa Triangle. Vines began arriving in 2003, and planting continued through three development phases across more than 120 acres. Five years after the first vines arrived, the winery was constructed in 2008. The sequence left a visible order in the estate: first the rootstocks and clones, then the rows of vines on the former Ngaruroro River bed, then the building in which fruit from that single vineyard could become Paritua, Stone Paddock and 21.12 wines.

Final Word

Paritua is easiest to understand through its one vineyard: gravel ground in Bridge Pa, a stream running through the property, and red wines divided into distinct bottle roles. Paritua Red shows the estate’s fruit, oak, body and tannin in a direct form; Stone Paddock Syrah turns toward spice and savoury grip; 21.12 takes the longer ageing path.

Sources

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