Haysley MacDonald, te Pā

The Marlborough producer is proud of its Māori heritage and believes its Pā Road range will strike a chord with independents looking for authenticity and provenance

Not many new world winemakers can say that the land they farm has been associated with their family for 800 years. But it’s a claim that Haysley MacDonald can make with some justification.

At school, he wasn’t taught his Māori history. He’s since made up for lost time and it’s something that underpins his te Pā wine business in Marlborough.

Haysley grew up on a long-established mixed-use farm but his wanderlust as a young man took him far from home. His father asked him to return to the family business, but Haysley didn’t want a career as a potato grower. So he persuaded his dad to let him plant 150 acres of vineyards.

Friends and neighbours were on hand to advise and encourage. “I found, coming from traditional farming to the wine industry, everyone was there to help,” he says. “Everyone really likes to pass on their knowledge: what they’ve done, the mistakes that they’ve made.”

The family’s Sauvignon Blanc vineyards, based on the Wairau Bar in Cloudy Bay, expanded by another 250 acres over the next two years. Other vignerons had avoided this eastern outpost of Marlborough at the time, believing the

Pā

Road Sauvignon Blanc

soil to be too fertile for viticulture. But the MacDonalds proved them wrong. “You’ve got a lot of beautiful rich, silty loamy soils,” explains Haysley, “and the further down you go, you start getting into the gravel. Vines send a massive tap root straight down and into the gravel, so you get a bit of the best of everything.”

At first, Haysley was happy to sell the harvests. “As time went on, we looked to make our own wines,” he says. “We found that our fruit and our flavour profile was every bit as good as everyone else’s that I was involved with. And so we launched te Pā in 2011.”

In addition to what became known as the Home Estate vineyard, te Pā expanded its plantings into other parts of Marlborough, to give the winemaking team access to a broader range of grape varieties and flavour profiles. In the Awatere Valley, Sauvignon Blanc was joined by Chardonnay and Pinot Gris. There are pockets of vineyards across the region, all managed with the same respect for nature that has been fundamental to Māori culture for so many centuries.

The team is tight. Vineyard manager Gareth Exton has been a friend for years

Attractive floral aromatics with notes of citrus, lemongrass, passion fruit and guava. The lemon zest and passion fruit theme carries through the palate, supported by delicate blackcurrant and aniseed notes. The finish is crisp and clean with hints of lingering spice and a touch of chalky minerality.

Pā

Road Pinot Noir

An appealing primary-fruited assortment of cherries, blackberries, and dark plum. Brambly aromas of allspice, cassis and violet elevate the fruits bringing a complexity to the nose. The rich fruit is balanced by silky tannins, carefully curated oak, and a long lingering spicy finish.

Pā Road Chardonnay

and the pair can express robust opinions to each other. (“I give as good as I get,” Haysley chuckles.) The head winemaker is Sam Bennett, who will eventually have a purpose-built winery to work in, but currently achieves the results everyone is looking for in rented space.

The reaction to te Pā’s wines, at home and overseas, inspired the creation of the range that Haysley wants to channel in the specialist independent trade, Pā Road. “It’s an everyday drinker,” he says. “I wouldn’t call it your typical Marlborough Sauvignon. I think there’s a lot more love and creativity going on. Cropping levels are much lower, there’s a more concentrated flavour and we’re really looking after the fruit.”

Gently oaked, with an abundance of citrus zest and stone fruit aromas, married with the delicate scent of jasmine, smoky musk and toffeed hazelnut. The palate has a lively lime character, tempered by smooth vanilla oak and a hint of nougat. The texture is an exciting juxtaposition of rich and creamy, with a playful acidity and lingering finish of nuts and spice.

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Road Pinot Gris

The aromatics are brimming with nashi pear, quince, apple and complementary notes of spice and mace. Notes of honeysuckle and orange blossom also make an appearance, with a hint of apricot adding further decadence to the nose.