Misha's Vineyard The Dress Circle Central Otago Pinot Gris 2020

Description

• Dry style
• Baked apple
• Hazelnut nougat
• Mineral finish

"Pristine and elegantly fragrant, the bouquet shows white flesh nectarine, green pear, jasmine and subtle spice aromas, leading to a richly textured palate that's juicy and fleshy. Beautifully expressed with delectable fruit flavours, offering terrific drinking. At its best: now to 2028" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Mar 2021

"Inviting aromas of white pear, honeysuckle and hazelnut nougat lead to a gentle dry palate of baked apple and nectarine balanced by a fresh mineral lime finish" Olly Masters, Winemaker

Misha’s Vineyard is located on a spectacular site in New Zealand on the edge of Lake Dunstan in the Bendigo sub-region of Central Otago. The sun drenched north-west facing terraces of the 57 hectare estate provide optimal conditions for producing world-class Pinot Noir and aromatic white varieties. Our ‘no compromise’ philosophy requires exacting viticulture regimes, hand-picking, and considerate winemaking methodologies.

The season started with relatively cold and dry conditions. In November, the unrelenting spring winds started and continued through December, presenting challenges in the vineyard and impacting the fruit set. February was slightly warmer than normal, but the heat was short-lived as March was the coldest on record. Our harvest commenced on 4th of April and was carried out during the Covid-19 lockdown, so this was also challenging. Although 2020 is regarded as an excellent vintage across New Zealand, Central Otago recorded the coolest ever season. With Growing Degree Days (GDDs) at just 852, we were thankful of lower yields so we could ripen the fruit. The lower yields have translated to excellent flavour intensity, colour and tannin. The fruit was hand-picked at 4.0-6.3 tonnes per hectare.

The fruit was gently whole bunch pressed to enhance varietal extraction but ensure low phenolic levels. The free run portion of the juice was kept separate and racked clear to stainless steel tanks, where it was inoculated and cool-fermented (14-15°C) to retain varietal character. The pressings portion, had some of the free run added back and was fermented at warmer temperatures (20°C) in older French oak hogshead barrels (23% of blend) with indigenous yeast to add more yeast complexity and build mid palate texture into the wine.

The Dress Circle is the premium seating in the theatre and matches the location of our Pinot Gris. Situated on our middle terrace overlooking the spectacular vista of lake and mountains, it is indeed the ‘Dress Circle’ of the vineyard.

Food Pairing: This is an ‘anytime’ white wine that can be enjoyed alone or matched with a wide variety of food including many Asian style stir-fries and dishes that are a little spicy. It’s also particularly good with shellfish, salmon, chicken, pork, and creamy-sauce pasta.