• Dry style
• Floral
• Quince Blossom
• Citrus Twist

"Beautifully fruited and elegantly lifted, the inviting bouquet shows golden peach, poached pear and floral characters with nuances of mixed spice and oatmeal. The palate is concentrated and superbly weighted with supple mouthfeel and silky texture backed by refreshing acidity, finishing persistent and succulent. At its best: now to 2022" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Oct 2019

The Mt Beautiful Pinot Gris is an invitation to experience the unexpected. Aromatically the wine is floral with a nutty undertone featuring scents of quince blossom and hazelnuts. On the palate, it’s dry and full-bodied, warm and ripe with luscious ripe Nashi pear flavors backed by sensuous texture. It has a cream-like finish; clean with a crisp citrus twist at the end.

A complete contrast to the previous few vintages, 2018 was a good growing season that was considerably warmer and wetter than normal. Pinot Gris did very well, and the vineyard had great flowering followed by enough rain to nicely fill out the grape bunches. The employees worked hard in the vineyard and the Mt. Beautiful Pinot Gris had its yield restricted to a low 5 T/ha to increase concentration and complexity in the wine. The fruit was hand harvested in two picks, on the 3rd and 6th of April. Due to the warm season, the grapes were very ripe with a good spectrum and depth of flavors. The grapes were fermented mostly in tank but also in a few older barrels to give an extra layer of complexity. The wine was aged on lees for about six months before racking and bottling in December 2018.

The Pinot Gris is planted on the warm slopes of a north facing hill block of natural un- contoured land, sloping from 55m to 32m above sea level. This site is well suited for Pinot Gris as it is out of the cooler and lower surrounding areas, and the soil mix of silt loam and clay provide excellent water-holding properties. It is all hand tended throughout the season and at harvest.
A variety of Pinot Gris clones have been planted including German Geisenheim clone 2/21, new clonal reselections from South Africa (e.g. clones 7a, 14a and 52b and the Berrysmith clone), which all provide a full-bodied, textural wine with a richness in the mid palate.

Food Pairing: Pair the Mt. Beautiful Pinot Gris with chicken, salmon, pork and especially rowdy dinner guests.