Ant Moore a+ Pinot Gris 2023

COLOUR Pale yellow.

NOSE An enticing aroma of pear with white flora and jasmine, hints of lemon and brioche.

PALATE A linear focused palate with juicy pear notes, hints of honey, nougat and almond with ginger and a spice lift.

CELLARING Drink now to December 2026.

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.