Ross and Barbara Lawson founded Lawson's Dry Hills (Marlborough, New Zealand) in 1992, when they decided to make wine themselves rather than on-selling the grapes that they had been growing since 1980.  Their first vintage, which included Gewürztraminer off their own vineyard on Alabama Road, was just 15 tons and was managed by Ross from an old tin shed at the back of the property.  Their Gewürztraminer has gone on to be recognized as one of the country's finest and soon established Lawson's Dry Hills on the national and international stage.

Later plantings have seen the production of Sauvignon Blanc – now by far their most significant variety – as well as Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and Riesling. Their philosophy is to produce wines of great character at an affordable price.

The winery has one other distinction.  Ross believes it was the first in the world to seal all its bottles with screw-caps as a means of avoiding cork taint!

Vineyards

Lawson's Dry Hills Sauvignon Blanc grapes are harvested from over a dozen vineyard sites right across the spectrum of soil types, ranging from light stony soils to heavy loams, including quite a large proportion of clay-based soils.  This diversity of sites helps produce a wine of exceptional complexity.  Other varieties are grown on sites selected specifically to produce the characters desired.  The viticulture and vineyard management focus is on producing the flavors, concentration and balance desired in the final wine.

Winemaking

Lawson's Dry Hills winemaker, Marcus Wright, has been with the company since 2001. His previous winemaking experiences include work in France, South America and of course New Zealand.  He has demonstrated a thorough understanding and expertise of cool climate viticulture and winemaking throughout his career and has been rewarded with some very significant winemaking accolades during his time at Lawson’s Dry Hills.