2019 Whitehaven Marlborough Pinot Gris
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TASTING NOTE
Colour / Appearance: Mid-straw with bright clarity.
Aroma / Bouquet: Lifted aromas of almonds, pear, quince and spice.
Palate: The palate is rich and full-bodied with a soft, mouth filling texture. Flavours of pear, quince and stonefruit lead to an elegant, long and cleansing finish.
Cellaring: The wine has lovely balance and can be enjoyed immediately. We believe after cellaring for a year or two the Pinot Gris will gain additional texture and complexity to augment the varietal characters exhibited by the wine now.
Food Match: This Pinot Gris is made to be enjoyed with food. We recommend dishes featuring richer seafoods, mushrooms, light game and poultry.
Serve: Lightly chilled
WINE ANALYSIS
Alcohol: 14%
Residual Sugar: 6.2 g/L
Titratable Acidity: 4.6 g/L
pH: 3.43
VITICULTURE
Harvest Date: March 12th, 2019
Grape Growing: Pinot Gris vines, planted immediately surrounding the winery, are trained to two canes on a vertical trellis, with balanced pruning, shoot thinning, tucking and trimming to achieve an open, healthy canopy. 2019 was notable for low crops and a hot dry summer, resulting in small berries, giving intensity of flavour, and soft acidities. Harvest commenced approximately 10 days earlier that the long term average.
VINIFICATION
Winemaking: Most of the fruit was hand-picked and whole cluster pressed. The juice was fermented at 14-16°C with selected yeast strains to preserve the inherent fruit flavours. After fermentation, the yeast lees were stirred through the wine monthly to build mouthfeel and help develop an appealing, creamy texture.
Winemaker: Rowan Langdon
ACCOLADES
- 2021 Cuisine Magazine Tasting: Gold Medal, Rated No.1 Pinot Gris
- "Ripe, fruity and varietal with aromas of sweet green pear and apples, there’s a mix of floral scents and a soft leesy autolysis. On the palate - ripe, fleshy, fruity and just dry with a whisper of residual sweetness. Contrasting acidity and fine phenolic texture adds lengthy and mouthfeel. Balanced and well made, ready to enjoy from today and through 2022." 92/100 Points, Cam Douglas, MS, NZ
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"Gently aromatic and succulent pinot gris with classic ripe pear, nectarine, floral and honeysuckle flavours. A hint of sweetness is perfectly balanced by fruity acidity to give a pleasantly dry-ish finish. An appealing wine from a successful vintage." 91/100 Points, Bob Campbell, MW, NZ
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"A gorgeous expression of the variety; the fragrant bouquet shows apricot, honeydew melon, poached pear and floral aromas with a hint of spicy nuance. It's concentrated and succulent on the palate, displaying terrific fruit purity combined with silky texture and refreshing acidity, making it immensely appealing. At its best: now to 2022." 93/100 Points, Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, NZ
- "Still unfolding, the 2019 vintage (4.5*) is a single-vineyard, Wairau Valley wine, mostly hand-picked, then tank-fermented and matured on its yeast lees. Bright, light lemon/green, it is mouthfilling and strongly varietal, with deep pear and lychee flavours, slightly spicy notes, gentle acidity and a dryish (6.2 grams/litre of residual sugar), smooth finish." 4.5 Stars, Michael Cooper, NZ
