Stonyridge Larose 2022

Tasting Notes:

Larose 2022 is a massive, dense wine of huge power, extraction, and ripeness. The nose is initially perfume of rose and violet, then sandalwood and cedar. A deep vein of black and blue fruits follow and come to the fore after some vigorous swirling in the glass. The palate is opulent and rich, with gently grippy but fine structure and huge length. While it is incredible drinking right now, 2022 Larose will continue to develop in bottle for a long period of time, with a drinking window of 5-30 years.

Vintage Notes:

2022 was a season of challenges early but led into a settled warm summer after the fruit set, that gave Stonyridge wonderful fruit quality across the board. Due to the Spring and early summer being challenging, particularly around the flowering, yields were reduced, and while that has impacted the volume of Larose, the wine is reflective of that small yield with huge concentration. Harvest was the earliest the team have ever seen at Stonyridge, with picking wrapped up by the 25th of March.

Additional information

Type: Red wine

Assemblage: 55% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Merlot, 18% Petit Verdot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 0.6% Malbec, 0.4% Carménère

The name: This classic Cabernet-dominant blend is named Larose as a tribute to the rose, the most aromatic, colourful, intense, and beautiful of all flowers.

Vineyard: Waiheke Island, New Zealand. The North facing site, which Stonyridge proudly occupies, affords their vines all day sun enabling Stonyridge to ripen these Cabernet varieties to perfection. The site is sheltered from the cooler Southwest winds and in summer we can experience over 80 days of temperatures in the 30 °C mark during the ripening period. The soil is a poor low-fertility Waitemata Clay saturated with nodules of magnesium, manganese, and iron oxides. Magnesium is the central molecule of chlorophyll, essential for photosynthesis, much loved by grape vines and so often deficient in NZ soils. The soil profile at Stonyridge is a key factor in much of the complexity and 'terroir' characteristics that the wines display. Organically managed, the only additions to the soils are natural-ground limestone and homemade seaweed 'tea'.

Winemaking: Aged in 60% new fine and tight grain French oak.

Cellaring potential: Drink from 2027-2052 if you can resist the temptation.

Alcohol: 13.5% vol

Closure: Cork

Produced and bottled by: Stonyridge Vineyard, 80 Onetangi Road, Waiheke Island, Auckland 1971, New Zealand

Distributor: vinabonus GmbH, Simmedenweg 40, 34134 Kassel, Germany

Larose: A long history of successes

Stephen White produced the first Larose vintage at Stonyridge Vineyard in 1985. Two years later, he made the great 1987 Larose that rocketed Stonyridge to national fame and attracted international attention – a wine hailed as the greatest red wine ever made in New Zealand at that time. Today, Stonyridge is referred to as “One of the Top Ten Must Visit Wineries in the World” by the Guardian UK and topped the list for the best Cabernet Merlot in the Melbourne Age/ Sydney Morning Herald Good Wine Guide. In the French Guide Les Editions du Bottin Gourmand 2000, in Paris, Stonyridge 1996 came first equal with Lafite Rothschild, Petrus, and Cheval Blanc. The Stonyridge Larose 2010 scored 97 points to make it the highest equal-scoring red wine in 2013 and finished ahead of all of Australia’s most iconic Cabernet Merlots! In 2022, the 2019 Larose scored 97 by New York and Hong Kong wine writer James Suckling.

Lisa Perrotti Brown, Chief Editor of Robert Parker's Wine Advocate, has named the vertical tasting at Stonyridge her "Best Vertical / Retrospective Tasting of 2014" in Lisa Perrotti Brown's Guide to the Best of 2014.

"While there were a number of truly incredible Bordeaux, Burgundy, Italian, Australian and California contenders for my favorite vertical tasting of the year, the most impressive one took place during my New Zealand trip in October, demonstrating that some of the best New Zealand wines being made today really can and are aging remarkably:" Stonyridge's Larose (Bordeaux Blend from Waiheke Island) Vertical (inc. vintages back to 2004) tasted at Stony Ridge in Oct 2014.

Most vintages of Larose have scored 95 to 97 points by Wine Advocate for the last 10 years.

Stonyridge Larose has featured on the wine lists of some of the most exclusive restaurants in the world, including Viridiana in Madrid, Dorchester in London, and the Ducasse restaurants in Monte Carlo and Saint Tropez. Larose is the favourite wine of the former NZ Prime Minister, Sir John Key, and has been royally enjoyed by the reigning Queen Elizabeth II of England, the former King of Spain, Portugal’s Duke of Braganza, and international celebrities including Taylor Swift, Quentin Tarantino, Ryan Reynolds, Simply Red, ZZ Top, Michael Douglas and more.

Stonyridge Larose: other critic views

• Nick Stock (wine rater for James Suckling): "Sitting right at the top of the New Zealand Bordeaux-inspired blends, the Larose has a beautiful density that is fused with elegance. The palate has the sort of tannin texture that all cabernet winemakers dream of….a real triumph."
• Master of Wine Bob Campbell: "Larose is typically an elegant, powerful and complex red wine with a proven history of developing well with bottle age. Waiheke's long-time hero, Stonyridge Larose has been making waves since its stellar vintage in 1987 ... Founder, Stephen White, is as clever at marketing as he is at making his world famous red. Most is sold en primeur ..."
• Cameron Douglas MS: "Stonyridge Larose ...has consistently been one of New Zealand's most sought after wines for the last 20+ years. The Larose consistently stands out in any competition it is shown in - it is sold mainly En Primeur and quickly sells out each year - a worthy investment."
• Michael Cooper, author of the Wine Guide to New Zealand Wines: "Typically a stunning Waiheke wine. Dark and seductively perfumed, with smashing fruit flavours, at its best it is a magnificently concentrated red that matures superbly for a decade or longer, acquiring great complexity. This is a Super Classic"
• Raymond Chan: "Stonyridge Vineyard is a true icon. Created by Stephen White with the first vines planted in 1982, the Stonyridge 'Larose' Bordeaux-varietal wine was first released with the 1985 vintage. The 1987 wine is now regarded as one of the landmark wines of New Zealand..."
• Hugh Johnson: "Stonyridge - Boutique winery, known since mid-80s for exceptional CAB SAUV-based, Larose, one of NZ's greatest."