Esk Valley Hawke’s Bay Pinot Gris 2005 $na I tasted this wine 16 years after harvest, in 2021 and I’ve got to say it was a revelation. With the acidity still pinging in this ultra-golden, teenage sensation, the spices are zooming along the vanilla, nutmeg and apple strudel spectrum and it’s developing some delicious, nutty … Read More
pinot gris
Lime Rock Central Hawke’s Bay Pinot Gris 2020
Lime Rock Central Hawke’s Bay Pinot Gris 2020 $19.99 I love the tiny squeak of apricot in the colour of this wine as it pours into the glass. The skins of Pinot Gris grapes are pinky-grey and if they’re left in contact with the juice for a short while, they’ll impart this gorgeous rose-gold tint. … Read More
Main Divide North Canterbury Pinot Gris 2019
Main Divide North Canterbury Pinot Gris 2019 $20.99 Golden in the glass and showing distinctive honeyed, beeswaxy aromas from some earlier-picked and later-ripened fruit being included in the mix. They’re aiming for ‘a classic Alsatian style with a North Canterbury twist’, so the grapes were all fermented in stainless steel tanks to preserve freshness and … Read More
Domain Road Defiance Central Otago Pinot Gris 2020
Domain Road Defiance Central Otago Pinot Gris 2020 $27 Grown on Graeme Crosbie’s ‘Defiance’ vineyard on Felton Road, this shiny new Pinot Gris is explosively fresh, frisky and fanging with flavour. Think white peach, Golden Delicious apples, quince and nashi niceness on the nose and palate and a clean, crunchy finish that’s like a luscious … Read More
Wither Hills Early Light Marlborough Pinot Gris 2019
Wither Hills Early Light Marlborough Pinot Gris 2019 $17.99 Weighing in at a positively demure 9.5% alcohol, this smooth, softly-juicy Pinot Gris was able to pack in solid amounts of peach, nashi pear and Golden Delicious apple into every sip without the heavy alcohol hit, by being harvested early to capture good flavours without the … Read More
Neck of the Woods Central Otago Pinot Gris 2020
Neck of the Woods Central Otago Pinot Gris 2020 $20 Snappy, crispy dry and chock full of classic Golden Delicious Apple, nashi and nearly-ripe quince characters, it’s an ultra-cleansing, tightrope-taut on the tongue wine that will perk up even the most flaccid food. Zesty and floral on the nose, it has a mineral-laced charm in … Read More
Whitehaven Marlborough Pinot Gris 2019
Whitehaven Marlborough Pinot Gris 2019 $20 At 14% alcohol, this Pinot Gris definitely sails down the crispy-dry side of the street, yet the mid-palate is plump with pear, quince and nashi-laced niceness. Generous and juicy, but also cleansing and refreshing – it’s a very nice thing to drink. Pop it in the fridge for 45 … Read More
Wither Hills Early Light Marlborough Pinot Gris 2019
Wither Hills Early Light Marlborough Pinot Gris 2019 $17.99 Harvested earlier than their other Pinot Gris lines, the Early Light takes advantage of grapes bursting with bright apple and pear flavours, but with lower levels of natural sugar, so they’re able to create lower alcohol levels and still maintain good varietal character. It’s a teensy … Read More
Villa Maria Single Vineyard Seddon Marlborough Pinot Gris 2019
Villa Maria Single Vineyard Seddon Marlborough Pinot Gris 2019 $29 So beautifully balanced it’s like a ballerina tiptoeing in pointe shoes across your tongue on a tightrope. Aromatically it delivers fresh nashi and yellow plum perfume in spades, while the cleansing, juicy, white nectarine notes wash soothingly over the palate and leave a lengthy, textural … Read More
Monowai Hawke’s Bay Pinot Gris 2020
Monowai Hawke’s Bay Pinot Gris 2020 $24.99 2020 clearly shined bright on the grapes grown on the Ngaruroro River terraces by winemaker Emma Lowe and her Chilean viticulturist husband Marcelo Nunez. The high altitude, rocky, free-draining soils of the Matapiro sub-region inland west of Hastings, is superb for turning out tasty pinot gris. All the … Read More