Stoneleigh Organic Marlborough Pinot Gris 2022

Description

Apple, Dry, Spice

• Dry style
• Crunchy apple
• Subtle spice
• Balanced acidity

An organic wine grown in living soil. This Pinot Gris wine is a true reflection of the grape. Clean and vibrant, a pure expression of New Zealand nature. This wine is pale lemon-gold in colour. Fragrant aromas of crunchy pear, and apple skin with a hint of rosehip lead you in. The medium-bodied palate is brimming with more joyously juicy orchard fruits, and as the wine opens up, hints of spice, dried figs and citrus peel emerge. This is a wine of elegant simplicity, that over-delivers on primary, immediate fruit freshness, perfectly balanced ripeness and acidity. This wine is released ready to drink while primary fruit if at the forefront. After 1-2 years, if carefully cellared, mellow hay and honey notes will emerge as the wine matures.

The fruit for this wine came from one certified organic block in our Fairhall vineyard, in Marlborough’s Wairau Valley. This vineyard is in the central heart of Marlborough, which is cooled by outflow from the Southern Valleys, with the famously high diurnal variation that keeps acids bright and ripening even. The soil here is moderately fertile and the breeze from North West winds keeps the canopies dry and healthy. The vines are 16 year-old Pinot Gris, grown from Mass Selected clones on 5C rootstock. They are trained to VSP with 2 cane pruning, which keeps yields low and fruit quality high.

Niwa Clinfo database and Marlborough Research Centre online Weather data. New Zealand had ideal growing conditions leading into harvest with average crops and clean, intensively flavourful fruit with early budburst across all the wine regions. A slightly wetter December ensured healthy vines leading into the growing season and a drier than normal January and February created perfect conditions for veraison and grape ripening through to the start of harvest. Cooler nights in late February and March also helped lock in the natural acidity and freshness to the fruit. Just as in 2019, the dry February, March and April weather prevented disease from dictating harvest priorities and fruit quality was optimized. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Gris fruit quality was particularly pleasing with an early onset of ripening and harvest.

The Pinot Gris for this wine was harvested on 31st March 2020, in optimal, dry harvest conditions. Machine harvesters were used and then the fruit immediately trucked to the winery for gentle pneumatic pressing with minimal skin contact. Fermentation took place in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks with carefully selected aromatic yeasts. After fermentation the wine was simply stabilised, then filtered before bottling. No oak was used in the winemaking, as the emphasis was on preserving the varietal fruit notes. This wine is certified as organic and vegan.

Food Pairing: This is gorgeously cheerful, fruit-forward wine that will be perfect served well chilled with fresh, simple dishes. Salty aperitifs, olives and shellfish, or summer picnic food will be a great match. For something a little richer try grilled pork loin in Dijon mustard and crème fraiche sauce. Salty cheeses such as feta or halloumi in a salad scattered with some honey pecans will work brilliantly too.