TOP PINOT GRIS Whitehaven Marlborough Pinot Gris 2019 -1 $23 ★★★★★

WHITEHAVEN OWNERS Greg and Sue White made a huge lifestyle change in the 1990s when they embarked on ocean adventures on their yacht Chanticleer. While sailing in the Pacific they sought shelter from hurricane season in the calm Marlborough Sounds and were inspired to pursue another dream, this time on dry land. Whitehaven was that new dream.

Harvested mostly by hand between mid-march and the start of April, the grapes for this wine were smaller than usual, as a result of a hot, dry summer and a lower crop. These smaller berries, however, meant greater intensity of flavour and a softer acid profile in the wine. Once fermented, yeast lees were stirred through regularly to help achieve textural characters in the wine, and also to develop the silky creaminess present on the palate that so appealed to our judges. The wine has a beautiful perfume of redapple skin, spice and rose petals on the nose which follow through and feel layered on the palate along with notes of gingerbread. The wine has complexity due to the pert yet soft acidity that brings everything together. A seductive, smartly crafted wine with the essential nuances of great gris.