Ata Rangi Lismore Martinborough Pinot Gris 2018

Description

• Dry style
• Granny Smith apple
• Hazelnuts
• Fresh apricot

The up-front aromas evoke peach, grapefruit, Granny Smith apples and notes of hazelnuts. Flavours of fresh apricot blend with more savoury - salty notes on the palate, that offers creamy entry, nicely balanced with acidity to give freshness and a long finish. This textural style, fermented in neutral barrels will benefit from bottle age.

The wine is rich, but remains finely structured and beautifully balanced. Pinot Gris from the Lismore block always achieves optimum flavours later in the season. As a result,the grapes are pickedrelatively late to achieve a wine closer to the richer style of Pinot Gris made famous in the Alsace region of France, rather than the leaner, generally bone-dry 'Pinot Grigio' version, popular in the north of Italy. A classic Pinot Gris originally influenced by the style of wines from Alsace but developed over the years into the winemakers own, uniquely Martinborough style. The vines from which this wine was produced are now 23 years old. With roots that have driven metres deep into the gravels, they consistently deliver fruit with heightened texture and flavour.

The fruit for this wine was hand-picked and whole bunch pressed. Juice cold settled. A combination of ferments in small stainless tanks and 500 litre oak puncheons; in both cases left on lees for several months. Native yeast. No malolactic fermentation.

Food Pairing: With just a few grams of residual sugar, Pinot Gris is a delicious stand-alone aperitif. It is also a fantastic food and wine matching choice, especially for anything with heady spice and/or challenging flavours.