This is the best Pinot Gris I have seen for a little while. It's an absolutely ripping wine! The detail, the interest and the wonderfully managed weight deliver a fabulous expression of the variety. Run at this. Please do.
There is a catch, however... It is only available in New Zealand. Coming from a small Waipara (North Canterbury) producer, I was grateful to receive a sample. Fermented in older French oak, it spent time on lees for four months prior to bottling.
The weight and presence of this wine smashes the brief. Slightly off-dry, fine sheets of spice curl around the fruit adding detail and moreishness. With a captivating length, it's a wine that has a terrific autumnal appeal. Cinnamon scroll and ginger nut biscuit spices sway and move through every crevice of the mouth. White fleshed stonefruit, golden apple and nashi pears add to a well-handled flavour profile. A fine veil of vanilla meanders about in the background further enhancing the detail and interest. But that length - excellent! Ordinarily, I wouldn't reach for a Pinot Gris but this one shifts that mindset. Sit back and sip slow on a lazy afternoon as the sun gradually falls from the sky. Bliss.
Drink now to three years.
95/100
Region: Waipara, New Zealand
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