The search for ‘perfection in Pinot
Gris’ continues. The variety has
certainly become the darling for the wider wine drinking community in New Zealand,
and with 1,500 hectares planted, it is firmly placed as the third most widely
planted white variety and fourth overall.
Pinot Gris wines have proven to be very successful, whether coming from
vineyards from the top of the North Island or from the bottom of the South Island.
Stylistically, if performs an all-purpose role, being less flavour-assertive
than Sauvignon Blanc, but more weighty and textural, and positively less
winemaker-worked than powerful Chardonnay styles that demand food
interaction. However, one of the weak
points of the variety, and which plagues the other ‘aromatic’ varieties, is the
lack of understanding and acknowledgement of sweetness level on the label. One can admire how different styles and
sweetness levels in Pinot Gris can be accepted and enjoyed. But in order to help the drinker and the
industry progress with the wines, an indication of style must be incorporated
into the labeling. The format of the
International Riesling Foundation (click here for more) could be adopted and
expanded to include all the varieties where residual sugar has a marked affect
on style and situation to be enjoyed.
Pinot Gris from the Canterbury and
Waipara regions is relatively insignificant in plantings, accounting for less
than 7% of the vines, but the quality of the wines is proportionally much
higher than this figure suggests. The
best Pinot Gris wines are held in a regard not to far from the top Rieslings,
the variety that has the claim for the white wine crown here We offer two 2009 Canterbury Pinot Gris
wines that are prime examples of the variety:
Mt Beautiful Cheviot Hills Pinot Gris
2009
This is the first release of a Pinot
Gris from the Cheviot Hills vines of David and
Leigh Teece. Only 5% of their vineyard,
situated in North Canterbury between Waipara
and Marlborough, is dedicated to the variety, but maybe more should be. Award-winning winemaker Sam Weaver can be
proud of this. Made from hand-picked,
whole bunch pressed fruit, this was 30% warm fermented in third-fill barrels to
14.5% alc, and 5.4 g/l rs, then aged on lees for six months. Bright straw with golden hues to the colour,
the bouquet is soft and full of the exotic tropical fruits and spiced pears,
always desired but seldom achieved with this variety. Though dry to taste, this is rich and
succulent with gorgeous honey and stonefruit flavours that unfold with hints of
spice and nuts. The wine carries an
outstanding textural richness and weight that fills the palate. The concentration reflects the low-cropping
of the vines. A stunning inaugural Pinot
Gris for Mt Beautiful. Again, we ask, maybe more of
their vineyard should be planted to this variety?
Terrace Edge Waipara
Valley Pinot Gris 2009
The Chapman family in Waipara are proving their
meticulous and ‘green’ approach in their 12 hectare vineyard is supplying
quality fruit. Their Terrace Edge label
is one of the up-and-coming stars if the region and along with the likes of Greystone
and Black Estate, are supporting Camshorn, Mountford, Muddy Water, Mudhouse and
Pegasus Bay. The 2009 Terrace Edge
Waipara Pinot Gris took gold at this year’s Royal Easter Show Wine Awards, and
it’s easy to see why. Light golden-straw
in colour, this wine has a decadent, honied nose packed with stonefruits, pears
and spices that just draws you in. At
14.0% alc, this has good body and presence, the 14.0 g/l residual sugar just
adding richness to the off-dry style.
The wine flows with honey, citrus and pineapple flavours that
harmoniously merge with the sweet pear-like fruit. The opulence of the wine, no doubt from the
long hang-time and a little shriveling of the fruit, is a highlight. Belinda Gould, of Muddy Water made the wine,
employing whole cluster pressing, native yeast fermentation in seasoned oak and
batonnage for nuanced complexities. A
fabulous effort. Limited stocks only.