Pinot Gris 2007

Tasting Note

Due do a pre-ferment cold soak, the ’07 Pinot Gris displays a gorgeous pale champagne hue in the glass. The nose is complex and aromatic – tropical fruit, luscious lychees, almond and subtle rose. On the palate, rich nectar and apricot flavours are upfront with vanilla, white stonefruit and creamy nuts lingering on the finish. The mid-palate combines green apple and pear, which reiterates the Isabel style – fresh, clean & crisp. Lees contact is apparent, offering lovely mouth feel. A beautiful wine with natural oysters but also stands up to roasted pork and duck dishes.

Accolades

“Thoroughly decent, clean and straight forward, a dry pinot gris with fleshiness. Almost subtle fruit tones, rounded off very well after a year. A style ready to be enjoyed over the next 18 months especially beside delicate food dishes where this pino gris will underline such courses excellently.”
Peter Saunders, F&B Magazine, April 2008

“A fine, tight, and pleasingly dry wine with good mineral, pear and pineapple falvours. This is an excellent food wine with good acidity and a bone-dry finish. Offers value at price.”
Bob Campbell, September 2008, www.bobswinereviews.com

“Fruit gloss on impact delivers a lush character, refined by a steely nature. Mid palate feels sweet with fruit, nicely suave but always with that hint of steel in its bones. Quince fruit flavour persists right through, trailing off with a dry, flavour smeared trail at the very end. Classy.”
Keith Stewart, 18 March 2008

“Very pale pink, medium-bodied style, grown in the Isabel Estate vineyards. Lots of peachy, spicy flavour, with a sliver of sweetness and fresh acidity.”

Winestate Magazine, May/June 2008

“Has mild pear and spice aromas and flavours, is soft, forward, and virtually dry. It’s balanced, agreeable drinking.”

Graeme Barrow, Northern Advocate, 26th April 2008

Further Vintage Reports & Tasting notes

Vineyard
Isabel Estate Block 1, Rows 75-97
Block 2, Rows 25-62
Block 3, Rows 1-19/42-64/ 85-96
McGinlay Vineyard

Variety
Pinot Gris Clones: Barrie and Mission
Selle Ovaille 2-15 & 2-16

Harvest Date
23rd March – 12th April 2007

Bottling Date
25th October 2007

The warm spring of the ’07 growing season allowed for a superb flower set. This gave us the opportunity to be very discriminating during the thinning process with significant amounts of fruit dropped and only perfect clusters left to ‘hang’. Selective leaf plucking was another technique well utilised this year, ensuring fruit ripened slowly – concentrated flavours develop and alcohol levels are kept under control.

To make up for a late start, we were rewarded with a beautiful Indian summer. The extended growing season, with warm days continuing well into April, allowed for fruit to be hand picked at an ideal balance of acidity, sugar and pH.

- Mike Newman

Fruit was hand picked on a cool morning at ideal ripeness. Bunches were gently de-stemmed and enjoyed two hours of cool maceration on their skins. Juice was then cold settled and racked to stainless were cold ferments, between 10 and 14 degrees, followed – we sought to preserve freshness and crispness.

Slow fermentation ensured that clean minerality, natural spice characters and fresh apple notes were retained. Juice also enjoyed extended (3 weeks) lees contact and lees stirring; providing great phenolic structure, which builds the wine palate while balancing acidity and adding complexity.

- Patricia Miranda

Harvest Analysis
Brix: 23-23.6
pH: 3.2-3.4
TA: 5.2-7.0g/l

Wine Analysis
12.8% alcohol
6.9g/l Titratable acidity
7.0g/l residual sugar