PINOT GRIS - THE PERFECT PARTY POUR
Jules Taylor explains why her ever popular Pinot Gris is perfect for a party.
FOOD MATCH
This Pinot Gris is great with Thai or Vietnamese flavours - try pairing it with pork belly spring rolls or a traditional Vietnamese Pho . Alternatively try it with freshly caught scallops fried in butter with a touch of garlic and chilli.
MMM! Get the recipeS!WINEMAKERS NOTES
Forget what you think you know about Pinot Gris and try this tasty little treat. Jules conjures up some winemaker witchcraft to coax every last ounce of personality out of this subtle little grape.
AROMA & FLAVOUR
Enticing aromas of ripe pear and peach are layered with delicate floral and citrus notes and a hint of caramelised, nutty spice. The palate is silky smooth and weighty, showcasing succulent layers of stone fruit and citrus. Hints of caramelised macadamia and spice add depth, creating a mouth-filling mid palate, and a long, elegant finish.
VINTAGE NOTES
Marlborough was blessed with another dry and generally warm growing season through 2024/25. Summer arrived early with warm, settled weather through late November and December. This was ideal for flowering across for all varieties, and led to a high potential yield across the region. A cooler January saw high yields become more obvious as berries developed, and growers worked hard to monitor and manage their crops, reducing them where necessary. The weather warmed up again in February, and ripening sped up once more with flavours developing well leading in to harvest. Picking began on the 25th of February. Interestingly early picks were close to the same dates last year. However, this season was more spread out and stable weather and nice clean fruit meant Jules was able to take her time, harvesting blocks as they reached their peak flavours.
VINIFICATION
Around 78% of the fruit for this Pinot Gris came from the Meadowbank vineyard in the Taylor Pass sub-region, and another 22% from the Waihopai Valley. The grapes were a mixture of the older 2/15 clone and newer 457 and 52B clones which have been producing beautiful little berries full of concentrated stonefruit and spice flavours. The parcel of 52B fruit was hand harvested, with the remainder picked by machine. In the winery the majority of the juice was pressed and settled in tank then racked for a slow, cool fermentation with selected yeast to preserve fruit characters and freshness. Jules retained higher levels of solids through the fermentation to enhance mouthfeel and texture. The hand harvested portion of grapes was whole bunch pressed to old barrels for a wild ferment with natural yeasts. This portion of wine also underwent a full malolactic fermentation with some lees stirring. The components were blended in August and bottled in mid September.
