Triple Gold Winners: Why the Jasper Ridge 2025 Rosé, 2025 Pinot Gris and 2023 Syrah Shine
We have slowly been making waves since we launched in November 2023, and our latest release vintages are no exception. We have received triple gold medals, one for each of our three flagship wines from Sam Kim’s Wine Orbit celebrating varietal purity and regional character. Here’s what makes each wine special and why they deserve your attention.
1. 2025 Jasper Ridge Rosé
Award: Wine Orbit – 5 *Stars Gold, 93/100, “outstanding quality showing varietal purity and exemplifying regional type.”
Colour & Aromas: A pale blush of lavender-pink. On the nose, a bouquet of ripe summer berries crushed strawberries, raspberries with hints of juicy red cherries.
Palate: Juicy fruit intensity and a fleshy texture. Beautifully pitched acidity gives freshness. The wine is highly drinkable now, with best window now through 2028.
Why it matters: Rosés often live or die by their balance between fruit sweetness, herbal/berry character, and acidity. This Rosé nails that balance, showing the Waiheke terroir with clarity. The wine gives you a sense of place, warm sun, sea air, summer fruits and finishes clean enough to keep you reaching for another glass.
2. 2025 Jasper Ridge Pinot Gris
Award: Wine Orbit – 5* Stars Gold, 94/100, again praised for “outstanding quality showing varietal purity and exemplifying regional type.”
Aromatics: Opens with ripe pear and white peach, floral notes, and a touch of citrus zest. There's plenty of stone fruit, and subtle spice, in addition to fruit like Gala apple and rockmelon.
Palate & Finish: Clean, vibrant, with a silky texture; acidity is balanced. Shows mineral-driven finish. The fruit intensity carries through, leaving a lingering sense of harmony. Best enjoyed from now through 2029.
Why it matters: Pinot Gris (in NZ) can swing between flabby and sharp; here Jasper Ridge finds the middle ground. You get weight without heaviness, freshness without thinness. It’s food friendly, think seafood, light pastas yet refined enough to enjoy on its own. A great expression of Waiheke’s climate and soils.
3. 2023 Jasper Ridge Single Vineyard Syrah
Award: Wine Orbit – 5* Stars Gold, 93/100, again praised for “outstanding quality showing varietal purity and exemplifying regional type.”
Aromatics: Sweetly ripe with elegant complexity, the wine exhibits aromas of Black Doris plum, cherry, thyme, clove, and roasted nuts on the nose.
Palate & Finish: The palate displays succulent fruit flavours with savoury nuances, well supported by silky texture and layers of fine-grained tannins, finishing persistent and refined. At its best: now to 2031.
Why it matters: 2023 was a challenging year for winegrowers in New Zealand, with heavy rains and a lot less sunshine – this Syrah, although lighter than many would expect shows a light floral balance that pairs perfectly with chocolate to create flavours reminiscent of Black Forest Gateau.
Putting It Together: “Triple Gold” and what it means for Jasper Ridge
These aren’t show medals in a competition, but ratings that mark high distinction: 5 Stars Gold, 93+/100, varietal purity, regional signature. It signals consistency not just in winemaking, but in vineyard management, picking times, and expression of place.
Triple Gold in itself is rare for any winery, especially for newer vintages. In effect, Jasper Ridge has shown that its whites, rosés and syrahs can stand with the best in NZ. Indeed our 2024 rosés was #1 out of 75 rosés in New Zealand according to the Real Review.
Why Wine Lovers Should Take Notice
Regional expression: Waiheke Island has a microclimate that imparts warmth, sea breezes, and plenty of sun; yet its soils and elevation bring freshness. These wines harness this contrast: intense fruit plus zippy acidity.
Drinking windows are generous: the Rosé and Pinot Gris are excellent now but built to last several years. That’s not always the case with fresh fruit-driven wines.
Food versatility: whether you’re pairing with shellfish, summer salads, or barbecued lamb, there’s something in this line-up that can match. The Syrah, with its pepper and cherry profile, opens up when paired with richer dishes, the Pinot Gris and Rosé with lighter fare, or just moments of sunshine.
To achieve Gold in Wine Orbit with all three is a big deal. The 2023 Syrah, while a different style rounds out the portfolio well, offering a red that is elegant rather than powerful, nuanced rather than brute.
If you have the chance, these wines are worth trying, especially to compare the whites/rosé against the red, to see how one estate’s terroir comes through in different varietals. For lovers of finesse, balance and regional character, Jasper Ridge is proving itself a name to watch.