2023 Brokenwood Pinot Gris

Pinot Gris grapes can be quite coloured, even pink in some years; this wine is a lovely youthful yellow/green. The aromas are of ripe pear, ginger and white florals, with nashi pear and beeswax flavours on the palate carried by a zesty acidic backbone. Excellent fruit weight supported by phenolic texture from the skin contact results in a delightful Pinot Gris that just asks to be consumed.

Pinot Gris is widely planted in Alsace, France and is in fact a mutation of Pinot Noir, best noted for its coloured berries and sometimes deeply coloured wine (for a white that is). Pinot Grigio, as it is known in Italy, ranges from a full-bodied white to a rather plain wine if picked before full ripeness. In terms of winemaking technique, both the French and Italians often leave some juice solids in the ferment to produce a fuller style. Here, the wines benefit from the cooler terroir but still have richness to them. The true character of Alsatian Pinot Gris lies somewhere between the intense perfume and musk of Gewurztraminer, and the floral finesse and purity of Riesling. A late harvest at Indigo Vineyard for Pinot Gris due to a very cool and wet growing season. Harvest commenced in clear weather at perfect ripeness.
Food Pairing

Processing involved machine picking in the cool of the night then top tipped straight into the press, down the road at Oxley. The racked juice was transported to the Hunter Valley for fermentation in stainless steel. As per previous years, the pressings component was fermented in old French oak barrels.