REVIEW



Ashwood Estate Gisborne Pinot Gris 2009

Pinot Gris from New Zealand – Gisborne
Review Date - 18-Nov-2014

17.5/20

Full, even straw-yellow colour with golden hues. The bouquet is softly full and even in volume with harmoniously integrated aromas of yellow stonefruits and nuts, savoury apricot kernels with secondary toast and tertiary earthy elements and a petrolly complexity. Medium-dry to taste and full-bodied, this has a broad and weighty palate with deep flavours of ripe yellow stonefruits, honey and nuts. Complex development notes of earth and toast are seamlessly interwoven, and the flavours fill the mouth. This is softly textured and unctuous, with positive alcoholic power, the soft acidity enhancing the roundness. The wine finishes gently with a broad even flow. This is a soft, mellow and integrated medium-dry Pinot Gris with complex mature flavours. Match with Middle Eastern fare over the next 2+ years. Hand-picked M2 and 457 Entave clone fruit from two vineyards, fermented in 2,500 Litre cuves to 13.94% alc. and 15.8 g/L RS, the wine aged on lees. 17.5/20 Nov 2014 RRP $21.00

Hand-picked M2 and 457 Entave clone fruit from two vineyards, fermented in 2,500 Litre cuves to 13.94% alc. and 15.8 g/L RS, the wine aged on lees. Bright, deep, light golden-yellow colour, lighter on rim. The bouquet is full, deep and weighty with developed secondary aromas of ripe tropical fruits and pears with savoury honey and oxidative nutty notes in a complex amalgam, revealing flinty lees nuances. Medium-dry to medium in sweetness and full-bodied, densely packed and solid flavours of ripe yellow stonefruits, pears and apricots are integrated with nutty, oxidative complexities. The mouthfeel is rounded and soft in texture, near unctuous, the richness enhanced by low acidity. The palate exudes weight and richness which carries to a dry, textured finish. This is a full, weighty and near unctuous Pinot Gris with bottle-age and nutty flavours. Drink over the next 2+ years with Middle Eastern fare. 17.5-/20 Oct 2013 RRP $22.50

Apricot yellow colour with pale pink hues. The bouquet is very full with aromas of ripe yellow stonefruits, dried fruits, nuts and honey with an oxidative breadth, the aromatics with read depth and complex layers that open out. Medium-dry to taste, savoury ripe stonefruit and kernel flavours are interwoven with exotic fruits, honey and nutty oxidative elements. There are some secondary dried herb hints showing development, and the mouthfeel is soft, lush, rich and unctuous. The flavours grow in breadth and some alcohol warmth adds to the generosity of the palate. This is a rich, layered and complex Pinot Gris in the Alsace style, with savoury, nutty notes indicating some bottle-age. Match with Middle Eastern fare over the next 2-3+ years. Hand-picked fruit fermented in large oak casks to 13.5% alc. and 15 g/L rs, the wine aged on lees for 2 months and remained in large oak for 8 months. 17.0+/20 Aug 2012 RRP $22.50