"refreshing and flavoursome and not at all cloying"
The 2011 has touches of cinnamon, spice and canned apricot from the St Helena clone and more subtle characters of peach, pear and chalk from the GM clone. The wine has a balance of natural sugar, acid, tannin and a lifted spritz on the palate which gives the wine liveliness. Although it is a relatively sweet wine the balance of the key elements means the wine is refreshing and flavoursome and not at all cloying.
Ponui Island is located to the south east of Waiheke Island in the Hauraki Gulf. It is here that we have chosen to grow Pinot Gris where cool sea breezes temper the south facing slopes. Made up of two distinctly diff erent clones; our GM clone which is picked relatively early and the St Helena clone which we hang out as long as possible on the vine and in great years makes our reserve Pinot gris. Both clones are treated in a similar manner with whole bunch pressing and cold settling prior to fermentation. There is no fining of the juice which provides tannin in the finished wine so after we have racked the clear juice off the juice lees the lees are resettled and racked again before the last of the lees are fi ltered. A long slow ferment with cultured yeast follows and the wines a ‘stopped’ when the correct balance of sugar, acid and tannin is achieved. The ferments are stopped by dropping the temperature to zero degrees which also ensures the natural carbon dioxide from the fermentation remains in the wine.