This is the flagship red wine from Whitehaven Winery in Marlborough and it’s named after Greg White; the late husband of Sue White, who co-founded this large Marlborough winery in 1994.
And it is a fitting tribute to Greg too. It’s made from grapes grown on a vineyard in Marlborough’s Southern Valleys, which face north and have a direct aspect to the sun, which accentuates ripening in this cool climate wine region. The long hot days and cool crisp nights highlight the hallmarks of Pinot Noir – its high acidity, which is balanced here by a savoury, earthy flavour that comes from low crop levels (smaller bunches of grapes equate to higher tannin ratios in the wine, ergo more savoury flavours).
It spent approximately 15 months in oak, a substantial portion of which was new, but which is balanced by ripe red and dark fruit flavours and a long finish. Joelle Thomson
