2024 Kōparepare Marlborough Pinot Gris
$21.00
TASTING NOTE
Kōparepare (gift or contribution in Te Reo Māori) is a passion project from Whitehaven Wines. For every bottle sold, we donate to LegaSea, a non-profit organisation dedicated to restoring marine abundance in NZ.
Colour / Appearance: Pale lemon colour with bright clarity.
Aroma / Bouquet: Lifted notes of ripe nashi pear and fresh almond, with a subtle hint of red apple skin and honey suckle notes.
Palate: Flavours of pear, red apple and lemon, with underlying fresh herb notes.
Food Match: Pair with sustainably sourced seafood.
Cellaring: We recommend enjoying this young and fresh, however the wine can develop nicely beyond 3 years if carefully cellared.
Serve: Lightly chilled.
Alcohol: 13.5%
Residual Sugar: 3.3g/L
Acidity: 5.8g/L
pH: 3.37
VITICULTURE & WINEMAKING
Climate: The growing season leading into the 2024 vintage began after a dry winter, with the soil water balance in deficit. Fewer inflorescences and then a protracted flowering window in November and December, resulted in poor fruit set and fewer berries per bunch. Dry conditions persisted for the duration of the growing season, minimising disease threats and resulting in clean fruit. A spell of warm weather through late December and January, in combination with the lighter crop, resulted in a rapid physiological advancement. This trend continued until the start of harvest in early March. Fortuitously, the headwaters of the Wairau and Awatere river systems received enough rain to keep irrigation schemes open through the season and into harvest, at which point a return to cool, crisp days became the norm. Fruit was harvested at more elevated sugar levels than the previous two seasons.
Grape Growing: The fruit for this wine was sourced from the Rapaura (92%) and Awatere (8%) sub-regions of Marlborough. The vines were pruned to between two and three canes on a vertical shoot positioned trellis. Shoot thinning, leaf plucking, and trimming were used to achieve balanced vines.
Harvest Dates: Multiple harvest dates across March 2024.
Winemaking: Much of this fruit was machine harvested and pressed immediately with minimal skin contact, with the remainder hand-harvested and whole-bunch pressed. After cold settling, the clear juice was fermented in stainless steel tanks at 14-15 deg, using carefully selected yeast strains. After fermentation, the wine remained on lees for 4-5 months. It was then filtered before being bottled on the 9th of October, 2024.
ACCOLADES
- "It's finely scented on the nose, showing green rockmelon, ripe pear, lemon peel and white floral aromas. The palate delivers bright fruit intensity with fleshy texture and crisp acidity, finishing with succulent, tasty flavours. At its best: now to 2027. 5 stars - Sam Kim, Wine Orbit
- "An ideal, all-purpose wine. Pale lemon/green, it is medium-to-full-bodied, with very good depth of vibrant pear, lychee and spice flavours, fresh acidity, and a basically dry finish. Best drinking mid-2025+." 4 stars - Michael Cooper
- "Bright, even, pale yellow. The nose is gently full, with aromas of pear, apple and blossom. Medium-light bodied, dry to taste, aromas of pear and apple melded with blossom and a touch of citrus. The fruit is crisp and refreshing with a parallel line of acidity, and the fine-textured phenolics leave a silky mouthfeel. This Pinot Gris is crunchy and refreshing. Match with pulled pork and white fish over the next 2-3 years." 4 stars - Candice Chow
- "Peaches and cream aromas with orange blossom, ginger and nectarine. A soft bready layer complements crunchy young nectarine on the palate with some pithy texture on the finish. Light ginger whispers and soft fresh acidity drive the wine, finishing with wonderful freshness and a lingering peach note. Sunny day sipping, sorted." 90/100 points (4.5 stars) - The Wine Writer
