At A Glance
- Field
- Detail
- Region
- Central Otago, New Zealand
- Estate type
- Single-vineyard organic domaine
- Main varieties
- Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Riesling
- Signature wine
- Rewa Pinot Noir 2022
- Farming
- Organic certification with biodynamic practices
The Producer
Domaine Rewa is a 10-hectare domaine with 25-year-old vines, cared for by Yannick and Philippa Fourbet. Philippa Fourbet works with Grant Rolston, Gary Ford and winemaker Pete Bartle. The wines follow a clear remit: refined wines inspired by the elegance of Burgundy while remaining true to Central Otago terroir.
The estate is presented as a single-vineyard organic producer. Its range keeps four grape varieties under one estate name, with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay joined by Pinot Gris and Riesling.
Place
Central Otago supplies the local terroir for Domaine Rewa's Burgundy-inspired wines. The estate's single-vineyard format places red and white varieties within one geographic address, so the range compares Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Riesling from the same holding.
The vineyard sits within New Zealand's Central Otago wine region. Its wines are framed through local terroir, while the stated winemaking remit looks to Burgundy for refinement and elegance.
Story
Philippa Fourbet works with Grant Rolston, Gary Ford and Pete Bartle across the vineyard and cellar. Grant Rolston was engaged to manage the vineyard, and Pete Bartle became the winemaker.
The farming direction changed in two steps. Organic farming began in 2011, followed by biodynamic practices in 2012. Domaine Rewa retained organic certification while continuing to practise biodynamics, leaving the estate organically certified and biodynamically farmed. The wines remain guided by the combination of Burgundy inspiration and local Central Otago terroir.
Vineyards And Cellar
Domaine Rewa is described as BioGrow certified and as a single-vineyard estate. The producer's Pinot Noir is made from clones 5, 113, 115 and 777.
Vintage-specific cellar details show French oak in both red and white wines. The 2020 Pinot Noir spent 12 months in French oak, with 26% new oak. The 2024 Chardonnay was hand harvested on 26 March 2024 and saw French oak, with 37% new oak. New oak can contribute toast and spice while gradual oxygen exchange softens the wine's texture over time.
Wines
The current range comprises organic Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Riesling, with around 20,000 bottles produced per vintage. Rewa Pinot Noir 2022 is the red wine in the listed pair, while Rewa Chardonnay 2023 is the white.
The Pinot Noir is an organic single-vineyard wine made from four named clones. The Chardonnay is also presented as an organic single-vineyard wine. Pinot Gris and Riesling complete the four-wine range, keeping the estate's production focused on varietal bottlings from one holding.
In The Glass
The 2022 Pinot Noir opens with dried herb, cherry, preserved strawberry, stony earth, fine oak spice and a touch of wood smoke. Boysenberry, cranberry and bracken extend the fruit and savoury register. It is dry, taut and youthful, with tannins and acidity creating a salivating squeeze across the palate. The recommended drinking window runs from 2028 through 2038.
The 2024 Chardonnay smells of sweet toasty oak, stone fruit, ripe pear and elderflower. It is dry in the mouth, with pear, pineapple, toasty-spiced oak and flinty minerality. Bright acidity, medium body and a poised shape carry the wine toward a lingering stone-fruit finish.
A Bottle To Understand It
Rewa Pinot Noir 2022 is the first bottle to open. It is an organic single-vineyard Pinot Noir from Domaine Rewa, with a specific vintage and a recommended drinking window from 2028 through 2038.
The bottle places Central Otago Pinot Noir at the centre of the estate's Burgundy-inspired remit. Its age window also gives the wine a clear place in the cellar, with the critic's recommendation extending well beyond its release period.
Anecdote
Philippa Fourbet was raised on a farm in Waitahuna, Otago, about two hours from Rewa. She later made an offer for the vineyard from London after seeing the property only in photographs. Philippa and her collaborators took over shortly after the 2010 vintage, and the first Domaine Rewa wines came from 2011. The property changed hands after its 2010 harvest, then appeared under the Domaine Rewa name with the following vintage.
Final Word
Domaine Rewa brings Central Otago Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Riesling together under organic certification and biodynamic farming, with wines shaped by a Burgundy-inspired remit.