The Escarpment BLANC Pinot Blanc 2025 is a dry, textural white from Martinborough that sits somewhere between the crispness of a cool-climate white and the weight of something richer. Pinot Blanc is a rarity in New Zealand, and this one leans into quiet detail rather than obvious fruit.

Aromas run to nashi pear, white peach and lemon curd, with a faint almond-skin note behind the fruit and a hint of orchard blossom. It is restrained on the nose, the kind of white that opens up as it warms in the glass. The palate is dry and gently creamy, with pear and green apple carried on a soft, rounded mid-palate. Acidity is fine rather than sharp, giving the wine shape without cutting across the texture, and the finish is long, faintly saline and cleanly dry.

Pour it with roast chicken and tarragon, pork loin with apple, crab linguine, or a plate of soft washed-rind cheese. It also handles richer vegetarian cooking well — think leek tart or mushrooms on toast — where a sharper white would fight the dish. Drink the Escarpment BLANC Pinot Blanc 2025 from now through to around 2030. It is approachable straight away, though a year or two in the cellar will let the texture build and the almond and citrus characters knit together.