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Estate Pinot Gris

Pinot Gris
Waiheke Island, New Zealand

Vintages:

2017

Price: $68 per bottle

Winemaking

Destemmed: 100% whole bunch pressed Fermentation Vessel: Stainless steel fermenters and french oak barrels Fermentation: Selected strains Press: Pneumatic horizontal Maturation: Stainless steel and french oak. 8 months with lees contact Fining: Minimal to preserve concentration and texture.

Food pairing:

Duck a l’orange, Old-Fashioned Apple Pie, Ginger and garlic sticky pork belly, Veal scallopini with lemon and capers, Hard pressed rinded cheeses

Vintage report

An early spring with warmer than average temperatures brought us a very even bud burst and a solid start to the season. November to mid February was warm and dry with a distinct lack of the usual South westerly winds leading to a good fruit-set which was clearly visible by early December.

January heralded veraison and some great early indications of things to come. The fruit was developing nicely with low acids and rich colour development. However, as we approached harvest the Northerly storms came in one after another bringing record rainfall and high humidity. This meant a lot more work for the vineyard team keeping canopies straight and the fruit quick drying in the intermittent sun that followed.

Technical analysis:

Region: Waiheke Island
Grapes: Pinot Gris
Brix at harvest: 21-22
Alcohol: 13.5%
Residual Sugar: 4.8g/l
pH: 3.38
TA: 5g/l
Download technical sheet

2018

Price: $80 per bottle

Winemaking

Destemmed: 100% whole bunch pressed Fermentation Vessel: Stainless steel fermenters and french oak barrels Fermentation: Selected strains Press: Traditional Basket Maturation: French oak. 10 months with lees contact Fining: Minimal to preserve concentration and texture.

Food pairing:

Duck a l’orange, Old-Fashioned Apple Pie, Ginger and garlic sticky pork belly, Veal scallopini with lemon and capers, Hard pressed rinded cheeses

Vintage report

A warm settled spring provided the backdrop and a very hot and dry November and December really set us up for another promising vintage. 24 days over 30C during the growing season and a combined December/January maximum average temperature of 28.6C gave us the heat summation to advance ripening nicely.

Veraison was very compressed and passed through in around 2 weeks by Jan 20th instead of the usual 4 weeks. February brought the rains, but due to the constant and meticulous work of our vineyard team the fruit was in great shape. Continuous rounds of canopy detailing kept the fruit hanging freely and quick drying.

All of this work paid off as March brought dryer conditions and harvest approached. Selectively picking when the fruit reached optimum condition and many small batch ferments allowing individual attention and precision in the winery.

The resultant wines like the vintage are filled with tension and poise. Supple and long they will age well and deliver an ever evolving experience over many years.

Technical analysis:

Region: Waiheke Island
Grapes: Pinot Gris
Brix at harvest: 21-22
Alcohol: 13.5%
Residual Sugar: 4.1g/l
pH: 3.39
TA: 5.7g/l
Download technical sheet

Awards:

Bob Campbell: 94 points

2019

Price: $58 per bottle

Winemaking

Whole bunch pressed in a vertical basket press and barrel fermented in french oak using a combination of indigenous and selected yeasts. Matured in French oak 225 liters barriques (40% new) for 10 months with partial malolactic fermentation. Regular battonage and minimal fining to retain concentration and texture.

Food pairing:

Pork tenderloin and pickled peaches, Onion tart with apples, bacon and comté cheese, Almond-crusted trout with dill, Indian spiced shrimp with raita, Sticky lemon chicken.

Vintage report

Warm breezy days, calm nights and the odd refreshing shower were the hallmarks of spring this growing season. This allowed an abundant friuit-set which our team then set about sculpting into perfect balance. Summer was kind with lots of sunshine, above average daytime temperatures and 22 days over 30C during the growing season. Free draining North facing sites allowed us to capture all that sun while shedding the little rain that fell. The beautifully separated bunches ripened fully and harvest began earlier than usual. All varietals across the vintage period were picked in optimal condition leading to much jubilation in the winery. The resultant wines are showing great concentration, power and elegance.

Technical analysis:

Alcohol: 13.5%
Residual Sugar: 3.4g/l
pH: 3.37
TA: 5.9g/l
Download technical sheet

2020

Price: $62 per bottle

Winemaking

Whole bunch pressed in a vertical basket press and barrel fermented in French oak using a combination of indigenous and selected yeasts. Matured in French oak 225 litre barriques (40% new) for 12 months with partial malolactic fermentation. Regular battonage and minimal fining to retain concentration and texture.

Food pairing:

Sticky ginger soy glazed chicken, roasted cauliflower and chickpea coconut curry, crispy prawn tacos with coriander mayo, raclette cheese with cured meat, or pecan pie.

Vintage report

Warm settled weather in spring provided an early bud burst and an early compressed flowering and resultant fruit set. Canopies were meticulously nurtured with laterals thinned by hand. After fruitset we followed up by detailed leaf removal around the fruit zone allowing the fruit to make the most of the abundant sunshine. December and January were some of the driest months on record assisting veraison to begin at least 10 days earlier than usual. There was a meagre 243mm of rainfall in the growing season; the driest in 10 years. This, coupled with warm summer days, cool nights and light maritime breezes, helped to produce wines that are rich, ripe, opulent and refined.

Technical analysis:

Region: Waiheke Island
Alcohol: 13.5%
Residual Sugar: 3.7/l
pH: 3.39
TA: 5.5g/l
Download technical sheet

2021

Price: $62 per bottle

Winemaking

Whole bunch pressed in a vertical basket press and barrel fermented in French oak using a combination of indigenous and selected yeasts. Matured in French oak 225 litre barriques (33% new) for 12 months with partial malolactic fermentation. Regular battonage and minimal fining to retain concentration and texture.

Food pairing:

Duck a l’orange, Old-Fashioned Apple Pie, Ginger and garlic sticky, Crispy pork belly, Veal scallopini with lemon and capers, Hard pressed rinded cheeses

Vintage report

Spring heralded very early this year around the end of August and mild sunny days followed. This encouraged a very early bud burst and early season growth. Flowering was understandably early in the increasingly warm days that followed. The driest October was followed by one of the wettest Novembers. This was a great benefit however as the vineyard was disease free and enabled great berry cell division and resulting development. Warmer than average pre-flowering to flowering period gave us fruitset 2 weeks ahead of usual. The dry warm weather continued, keeping ripening ahead of schedule. This allowed the fruit to fully develop in the late summer sun attaining perfect ripeness in flavour, tannin and sugar, acid balance. The fruit at harvest was pristine, permitting our small crew to harvest individual parcels in optimum condition. Just when we thought 2020 was a once in 50 year vintage and impossible to beat, it’s likely that we did just that.

Technical analysis:

Region: Waiheke Island
Alcohol: 13.5%
Residual Sugar: 3g/l
pH: 3.35
TA: 5.9g/l
Download technical sheet