Marlborough a+ Pinot Gris 2021

COLOUR Straw yellow with light orange hues.

NOSE An enticing aroma of jasmine, golden peach and poached pears.

PALATE Figs, pear and spices with excellent weight and a plush mouthfeel.

CELLARING Drink now to December 2025.

Harvest 2021 was about 8 days earlier than 2020 and kicked off on March 9th and was complete in 4 weeks finishing on April 9th. No two vintages are the same and this year the difference was the lower yield. Springtime flowering conditions weren’t favourable with cooler weather than usual leading to a large reduction in yield. Some late spring frosts occurred affecting some localised areas of Marlborough and contributed to the lower yielding 2021 vintage. However, we had great weather throughout the ripening period, lots of sunshine and cooler nights, and very little rain so there was no disease pressure and all varieties achieved fantastic ripeness and flavours, albeit small volumes.

Our fruit was predominantly sourced from our Wairau Valley Estate vineyard with a small parcel from our Casey’s Road vineyard at Blind River. The grapes were gently pressed with the pressings treated separately before being returned to the free run.

The cloudy juice was cold settled over approximately 48 hours. The clear juice was then racked to tanks. The tanks were warmed and inoculated with two yeasts chosen for their ability to enhance varietal characters and the texture of the wine.

Temperature of the ferment was 14°C to 16°C. After fermentation the wine was chilled and racked off fermentation lees after 2 to 3 weeks with blending trials and final blending completed by the end of June. The wine was fined to improve aromatic expression and mouthfeel then stabilised before final crossflow filtration to prepare for bottling.