It was a trophy haul for Waipara Hills at the New Zealand Aromatic Wine Competition on 7th and 8th...
Waipara Hills Waipara Valley Pinot Gris 2014
SORRY THIS WINE IS NOT AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE
Oily and smooth from the first sip, then crisp and dry on the finish.
TASTING NOTES
COLOUR
Pale green / straw.
NOSE
Spicy red apple and quince paste aromas.
PALATE
Crisp, yet nicely textured with flavours of pear, apple and ginger.
SERVE
Drink young to capture the fresh, crisp flavours of this wine. With time it will blossom and develop.
PEAK DRINKING
2016 - 2017
SUGGESTED FOOD MATCH
Lightly chilled as an aperitif, even better with savoury spicy dishes.
WINE ANALYSIS
ALCOHOL VOLUME
13.5
ACIDITY
5.0
RESIDUAL SUGAR
6.0
WINE BACKGROUND
VINTAGE REGION
Sourced from The Home Block, The Deans and The Mound vineyards of Waipara Valley. Deep free draining gravel soils are mainly throughout the vineyards, yet on The Mound Vineyard there is a layer of clay across the surface which adds complexity.
VINTAGE CONDITIONS
An early bud break exposed the vines for two weeks of extra frost risk, but thankfully Spring was both mild and relatively frost free. The vines eased into the Summer growing season with a decent crop and the fruit condition was very good coming into veraison, with harvest looking to be early. Then some rain came along mid and late March, but the longer season had produced lower acidity and great flavour ripeness. producing fruit of quality.
GRAPE VARIETY
Pinot Gris
MATURATION
Harvested primarily in the morning or at night. the fruit was pressed immediately to preserve the fruit flavour. No sulphur was added to help promote some browning, settle the juice and soften the phenolics. The juice was left to settle until very clean, then racked, warmed and inoculated with a range of yeasts to promote the texture of the wine. After the fermentation the wine was left on lees for a further three months, stirring weekly to keep the wine fresh and promote characters. Finally the wine was blended, fined using natural methods and finished for bottling.
