"It is fabulously fruited and inviting on the nose showing poached pear, mandarin, mango and floral characters with a hint of spicy complexity. The palate is concentrated and rounded, and displays excellent fruit intensity and rich texture, wonderfully supported by juicy acidity. The wine is expressive and comforting with loads of tasty flavours. At its best: now to 2020" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Aug 2017

Pale straw with a hint of gold in the glass with fragrant aromas of jasmine, almond and pear notes. The palate is full-bodied wine with spice, pear, fig and honeysuckle favours. This wine is soft and voluptuous and finishes well with a firm acidity.

The vineyard source for these grapes is from the Briant vineyard which is situated between Patutahi and Manutuke, across the Waipaoa River from Matawhero. Silt deposits over a clay base provide ideal growing conditions for Pinot Gris. This wine is produced from the new ENTAV-INRA clone 457, which has small bunches and berries which intensify the wine. The small crop load means the vines easily ripen the fruit.

After a challenging season in Gisborne, the Pinot Gris grapes still exhibited wonderful intense flavours and good aromatics. Once at optimal ripeness, the grapes for this wine were harvested in the cool of the morning and quickly transported to the winery for speedy processing. After gentle pressing, the juice was kept cool and clarified slightly. Fermentation was carried out using cool temperatures as well, with a yeast perfectly suited to expressing the best characters of Pinot Gris. This vibrant wine needed only the smallest adjustment prior to filtration to fully express the ripe flavours and aromas which has developed during the season.