But sitting down to today’s selection with my tasting buddies Collins and McLaren, we all felt that somehow the stars had aligned, as the wines shone across the board. It might be time for me to take a look at my predilections, and spread the net wider?
2023 Riverby Estate Single Vineyard Marlborough Pinot Gris
Rating Excellent
Beguiling fragrance,
toffee apple, spices,
pears, a little beeswax
with aeration. Youthfully
expressed, bright,
carrying the characters
from the nose through to
the palate adding hints of
gum and dry honey.
Supple and rounded at
first, then the racy acidity
gets into work creating
nice vibrancy. Dips a
whisker on the close
then roars back for a
long, satisfying finish.
2022 McArthur Ridge Falls Dam Alexandra Pinot Gris
Rating Excellent
Preserved lemon,
perfume, beeswax,
shifting to pear and
fruit pastille. Fills the
mouth well, a touch of
oiliness and richness,
spices and a savoury
quality, a bittersweet
touch adding contrast
to the long, honeyed
finish. With aeration a
wisp of salinity
appears on both nose
and palate along with a
lemony note. Fruit
sweet, just off-dry and
very easy drinking.
2020 Carrick Organic Bannockburn Pinot Gris
Rating Excellent to Outstanding
Fascinating nose, a
wisp of funk, quince,
almond, apricot, honey
with time, a sense of
some development.
Opens to creamy
richness, super texture
with a lemon drop note
signalling a drier back
half. Great integration,
balance and
complexity, the nose
becoming simply
gorgeous with the
addition of ripe stone
fruits and honey. Fresh,
long dry close,
delightful.
2023 Ruru Central Otago Pinot Gris
Rating Excellent to Outstanding
Nose leaps out of the
glass, pear to the fore,
apricot, spices,
cashew nut later. A
crunchy, almost
spritzy mouthfeel lends
nice vibrancy and
tingliness. Great depth
of flavour moving from
honeyed aspects to
fruit pastille, apple,
pear and citrussy
nuances. Super
balance and purity, the
racy acidity brings real
freshness. Just off-dry
and drinking superbly
already.
2021 Main Divide North Canterbury Pinot Gris
Rating Excellent
Struck match, smoke,
honey, lemony citrus,
rose petal, musk, a
busy nose. Richly
mouthfilling, honey,
spice, musk, nicely
integrated with a little
prickle on the tongue
and vibrant acidity
giving this lovely
freshness. A touch of
apricot kernel comes in
on the finish, a counter
to the fruit ripeness.
Reduction more
evident with time, but I
like it. Lots to enjoy.
2022 Loveblock Organic Marlborough Pinot Gris
Rating Excellent
Dried/glazed fruits,
par, apple a savoury
musky aspect. The
palate is youthfully
expressed with
crispness, anchored
by lemon drops, apple
and fruit pastille notes.
All about the
freshness, that
backbone of acidity
adding a sense of
coolness to the close.
Very nicely done. That
fresh acidity would
also make this a
wonderful companion
to food.
