How’s this for hands-off winemaking. Organic fruit harvested a little later than normal to enhance the fruit sweetness and then the juice is left to soak overnight with the skins to extract a little more texture and complexity. Extended lees stirring during a ferment kickstarted with wild yeasts from the vineyard itself has added layers … Read More
pinot gris
Ka Tahi East Coast Pinot Gris 2015 $19.99 (3.5 stars)
Worried that you’re going to get something sweet and boring? For years I was too, but today Kiwi winemakers are super-skilled at creating clean, lean, deliciously dry and delicately fragrant pinot gris and these are the styles I love to look out for. This is a new brand crafted by Rod McDonald’s team at his … Read More
Cottier Estate Gladstone Pinot Gris 2013 $17.50 (5 stars)
The rocky old Ruamahanga River in Gladstone nourishes Cottier Estate’s vineyards and helps them create classically full, generous pinot gris like this. Pinot gris that’s packed with pear, ripe juicy rose apple, nashi and a squeak of quince all crash across the tastebuds in this beautifully balanced aromatic white. Fat and sassy on the palate, … Read More
Haha Hawke’s Bay Pinot Gris 2016 $13.99 (3.5 stars)
Highly scented and precise on the nose, fresh-cut pear, poached quince and powdery, talc-like characters leap from the glass. It’s also a very full, generous gris, soaking the palate with pipfruit, honeysuckle and spice. Don’t chill this down too much or you’ll stifle all those fruit layers. Sip with bacon-wrapped dates as a nibbly treat. … Read More
Gibson Bridge Barrique Ferment Marlborough Pinot Gris 2013 $46.99 (4.5 stars)
Howard and Julie Simmonds have made it their mission to turn out tiny amounts of stylish, complex wines with truckloads of character. Only 1800 bottles of this gris were produced and it’s crafted in a dry, toasty style which amps up the interest. Fresh tropical and quince characters on the nose, lead to musky, chai … Read More
Natural Wine Co. Gisborne Pinot Gris 2016 $19.99 4.5 stars
How’s this for hands-off winemaking. Organic fruit harvested a little later than normal to enhance the fruit sweetness and then the juice is left to soak overnight with the skins to extract a little more texture and complexity. Extended lees stirring during a ferment kickstarted with wild yeasts from the vineyard itself has added layers … Read More
Terra Sancta Lola’s Block Central Otago Pinot Gris 2016
Terra Sancta Lola’s Block Central Otago Pinot Gris 2016 $27.45 ★★★★½ Jody Pagey and Len Ibbotson are the winemaking and viticulture guru’s responsible for this luscious and tangy, southern star pinot gris. It’s a wine that seduced me from the get-go with its punchy nashi freshness and apple strudel spices. Rich and luscious and bursting … Read More
Neudorf Maggies Block Nelson Pinot Gris 2015
Neudorf Maggies Block Nelson Pinot Gris 2015 $26 ★★★★ The thing that really impressed me was the immediate aromatic hit of baked apple, crushed sea-shells and spice. It’s a lean, dry, ultra-clean style of pinot gris that has tightwire acidity on the palate and a long, chalky finish. I’d be sipping this with slowcooked pork … Read More
Petane Station Esk Valley Pinot Gris 2015
Petane Station Esk Valley Pinot Gris 2015 $27 ★★★★½ Hot off the bottling line, winemaker Philip Barber has created a pale gold, pear and peach-laden pinot gris that has absolutely lovely layers of dried pineapple, caramel, anise, rockmelon and fig. Yes, you heard me correct – there’s THAT much in this wine. Pronounced ‘Pea-tarny Station’, … Read More
Sacred Hill Marlborough Pinot Gris 2015
Sacred Hill Marlborough Pinot Gris 2015 $19 ★★★½ The aromas of this wine remind me of old school eskimo lollies from the pick’n’mix bins at the supermarket. Soft cornflower florals, pear, hints of apple and sweet confection. On the palate however it’s a different story, with the team at Sacred Hill producing a clean, tangy, … Read More