Vineyard Notes

The grapes for this wine are from our family-owned Loveblock Farm in Lower Dashwood area and were sourced from the elevated Hillside vineyard and a portion from the certified-organic Triangle vineyard (situated on the valley floor). On the valley floor the vineyard soils are aged alluvial loams containing some silt loam over stone, whereas the Hillside has heavier clay soils. The grapes were harvested in March yielding three tonnes per acre.

Vinification

In making a dry style of Pinot Gris, we have to manage the vine to give flavour ripeness at low Brix, so that the wine is not overly alcoholic. Once the grapes from the Hillside vineyard were ripe, the fruit was machine harvested (no preservatives were added in the vineyard to reduce the grape phenolics). The juice was then floated and inoculated with an aromatic yeast. This was followed by cool fermentation, which was stopped when in balance. The wine was fermented with minimum skin contact.

In addition, 10% of the organic Pinot Gris from the Triangle vineyard was fermented in neutral old French oak barrels and another 10% was transferred to a concrete egg for fermentation. These portions underwent malolactic fermentation and were then blended in to the estate portion to add complexity and mouthfeel to the finished wine. Once finished, the wine was cold stabilised and bottled in October 2021.

Tasting Notes

Colour: Pale with golden touches.

Aroma: Delicate aromas of jasmine and citrus flower yield to additional layers of Asian pear and prosciutto wrapped cantaloupe.

Palate: Beautiful prosciutto-wrapped melon, nashi pear and fruit notes are underscored with lingering texture, mouthfeel and linear acidity. The palate is complex, finishing with hints of wet stone minerality.

Food match: A wine to enjoy with delicate Asian flavours, seafood of all sorts or just simply by itself.

Sustainable status: Sustainably grown – SWNZ accredited.

Vegan status: Vegan friendly.

Cellar: Up to 10 years.

Vineyard Notes

The grapes come from our family-owned Loveblock Farm in Lower Dashwood, Marlborough. Relatively unique in Marlborough, these grapes were sourced entirely from our certified-organic estate vineyard, the Triangle. Here, the vineyard soils are alluvial silt over stone. Organic management decreases the vigour of the vines, reducing berry size and hence overall yields. The grapes were harvested in late March yielding nine tonnes per hectare.

Vinification

In making dry Pinot Gris, we have to manage the vine to give physiological ripeness at low Brix, so that the wine is not overly alcoholic. Organic management does this for us, with the competition from the wild flowers and grasses forcing the vine to struggle. Once the grapes were deemed ripe the fruit was machine harvested and membrane pressed immediately (no preservatives were added in the field to reduce the grape phenolics). The juice was then floated and inoculated. This was followed by cool fermentation with an organic yeast, in order to optimise the aromatics, and the ferment was stopped when deemed in balance. Once finished, the wines were stabilised and bottled in July 2020.

Tasting Notes

Colour: Pale with golden touches.

Aroma: Elegant aromas of rockmelon yield to layers of chamomile and citrus.

Palate: Beautiful prosciutto-wrapped melon, nashi pear and fruit notes are underscored with lingering texture, mouthfeel and linear acidity. The palate is complex, finishing with hints of wet stone minerality.

Food match: A wine to enjoy with delicate Asian flavours, seafood of all sorts or just simply by itself.

Organic status: Certified organic – BioGro #5266.

Vegan status: Vegan friendly.

Cellar: Up to 10 years.

Awards

Sam Kim, Wine Orbit: 5 Stars

Cameron Douglas MS: 94 Points

Decanter: 91 Points

Winestate Marlborough Tasting: 4 Stars

Candice Chow, Raymond Chan Wine Reviews: 90 Points

Vineyard Notes

The grapes are from our family-owned Loveblock Farm in Lower Dashwood area. Relatively unique in Marlborough, these grapes were sourced entirely from the elevated Hillside vineyard. Here, the vineyard soils are predominately aged colluvial loams containing some silt loam over clay. The grapes were harvested in March yielding three tonnes per acre.

Vinification

In making dry Pinot Gris, we have to manage the vine to give flavour ripeness at low Brix, so that the wine is not overly alcoholic. Once the grapes were ripe the fruit was machine harvested (no preservatives were added in the vineyard to reduce the grape phenolics). The juice was then floated and inoculated. This was followed by cool fermentation with an aromatic yeast (in order to optimise the aromatics) and the ferment was stopped when in balance. The wine was fermented with minimum skin contact. 7% Gewurztraminer and 7% Riesling were blended in for acidity regulation and added complexity. Once finished, the wine was cold stabilised and bottled in November 2020.

Tasting Notes

Colour: Pale with golden touches.

Aroma: Delicate aromas of jasmine and citrus flower yield to additional layers of Asian pear and cantaloupe.

Palate: Beautiful notes of juicy white peach, Asian and Packham pear are followed by sweet citrus, hints of barley-sugar and minerality. Rounded finish with lingering texture, mouthfeel and linear acidity.

Food match: A wine to enjoy with delicate Asian flavours, seafood of all sorts or just simply by itself.

Cellar: Up to 10 years.

Sustainable status: Sustainably grown – SWNZ accredited.

Vegan status: Vegan friendly.

Awards

Wine Enthusiast: 93 Points

Vineyard Notes

The grapes come from our family-owned Loveblock Farm in Lower Dashwood, Marlborough. Relatively unique in Marlborough, these grapes were sourced entirely from our certified-organic estate vineyard, the Woolshed. Here, the vineyard soils are alluvial silt over stone. Organic management decreases the vigour of the vines, reducing berry size and hence overall yields. The grapes were harvested in late March yielding nine tonnes per hectare.

Vinification

In making dry Pinot Gris, we have to manage the vine to give physiological ripeness at low Brix, so that the wine is not overly alcoholic. Organic management does this for us, with the competition from the wild flowers and grasses forcing the vine to struggle. Once the grapes were deemed ripe the fruit was machine harvested and membrane pressed immediately (no preservatives were added in the field to reduce the grape phenolics). The juice was then floated and inoculated. This was followed by cool fermentation with an organic yeast, in order to optimise the aromatics, and the ferment was stopped when deemed in balance. Once finished, the wines were stabilised and bottled in October 2019.

Tasting Notes

Colour: Pale with golden touches.

Aroma: Elegant aromas of rockmelon yield to layers of chamomile and citrus.

Palate: Beautiful prosciutto-wrapped melon, Nashi pear and fruit notes are underscored with lingering texture, mouthfeel and linear acidity. The palate is complex, finishing with hints of wet stone minerality.

Food match: A wine to enjoy with delicate Asian flavours, seafood of all sorts or just simply by itself.

Organic status: Certified organic – BioGro #5266.

Vegan status: Vegan friendly.

Cellar: Up to 10 years.

Awards

Winestate Wine Of The Year Awards 2020: Pinot Gris/Grigio of the Year

Winestate Organic & Biodynamic Wine Awards August/September 2020: 5 Stars

Winestate Marlborough Tasting March/April 2020: 4 Stars

Bob Campbell MW: 4 Stars

NZ Organic Wine Awards 2020: Silver

Vineyard Notes

The grapes are from our family-owned Loveblock Farm in Lower Dashwood area. Relatively unique in Marlborough, these grapes were sourced entirely from our estate vineyards. Here, the vineyard soils are predominately aged alluvial loams containing some silt loam over stone. The grapes were harvested in March yielding three tonnes per acre.

Vinification

In making dry Pinot Gris, we have to manage the vine to give physiological ripeness at low Brix, so that the wine is not overly alcoholic. Once the grapes were ripe the fruit was machine harvested (no preservatives were added in the vineyard to reduce the grape phenolics). The juice was then floated and inoculated. This was followed by cool fermentation with an aromatic yeast (in order to optimise the aromatics) and the ferment was stopped when in balance. The wine was fermented with minimum skin contact. Once finished, the wine was cold stabilised and bottled in February 2020.

Tasting Notes

Colour: Pale with golden touches.

Aroma: Delicate aromas of jasmine and citrus flower yield to additional layers of Asian pear and cantaloupe.

Palate: Beautiful notes of juicy white peach, Asian and Packham pear are followed by sweet citrus, hints of barley-sugar and minerality. Rounded finish with lingering texture, mouthfeel and linear acidity.

Food match: A wine to enjoy with delicate Asian flavours, seafood of all sorts or just simply by itself.

Cellar: Up to 10 years.

Sustainable status: Sustainably grown – SWNZ accredited.

Vegan status: Vegan friendly.

Awards

Wine Enthusiast: 90 Points

Vineyard Notes

The grapes come from our family-owned Loveblock Farm in Lower Dashwood, Marlborough. Relatively unique in Marlborough, these grapes were sourced entirely from our organic Woolshed estate vineyard. Here, the vineyard soils are alluvial silt over stone. Organic management reduces the vigour of the vines, reducing berry size and hence overall yields. The grapes were harvested in March yielding seven tonnes per hectare.

Vinification

In making dry Pinot Gris, we have to manage the vine to give physiological ripeness at low Brix so that the wine is not overly alcoholic. Organic management does this for us, with the competition from the wild flowers and grasses forcing the vine to struggle. Once the grapes were deemed ripe the fruit was machine harvested and membrane pressed immediately (no preservatives were added in the field to reduce the grape phenolics). The juice was then floated and inoculated. This was followed by cool fermentation with an organic yeast, in order to optimise the aromatics, and the ferment was stopped when deemed in balance. Once finished, the wines were stabilised and bottled in June 2018.

Tasting Notes

Colour: Pale with golden touches.

Aroma: Delicate aromas of rockmelon yield to additional layers of Nashi pear and prosciutto-wrapped melon.

Palate: Beautiful melon and fruit notes are underscored with lingering texture, mouthfeel and linear acidity.

Food match: A wine to enjoy with delicate Asian flavours, seafood of all sorts or just simply by itself.

Organic status: Certified organic – BioGro #5266.

Vegan status: Vegan friendly.

Cellar: Up to 10 years.

Awards

Winestate, BEST OF NEW ZEALAND Awards 2019: 4.5 Stars

Winestate, BEST OF NEW RELEASES Awards 2019: 4.5 Stars

Winestate, New Release Special Edition Awards 2018: 4.5 Stars

Winestate, BEST OF VARIETAL/STYLE Awards 2019: 4 Stars

Winestate, Organic Tasting 2019: 4 Stars

Cuisine, Issue #193: 4 Stars

2018 IWSC International Wine and Spirits Competition: Silver

2018 New Zealand Aromatic Wine Competition: Silver

Cameron Douglas MS, The Shout (Aug 2018): 89 Points

The Wine Front: 89 Points

2018 New World Wine Awards: Bronze

Vineyard Notes

The grapes come from our Loveblock Farm in the Lower Awatere sub-region of Marlborough. Relatively unique in Marlborough, these grapes were sourced entirely from the Hillside vineyard. The soil structure is far different from the valley floor below, with six inches of top soil sitting above impenetrable tight clay. This means the vigour of the vineyard can be easily managed by water. The vineyard is very exposed and the vines struggle with the wind giving us very small berries and, subsequently, intense aromas and flavours in our Pinot Gris.

Vinification

In making dry Pinot Gris, we have to manage the vine to give physiological ripeness at low Brix so that the wine is not overly alcoholic. Organic management does this for us, with the competition from the wild flowers and grasses forcing the vine to struggle. Once the grapes were deemed ripe the fruit was machine harvested and membrane pressed immediately (no preservatives were added in the field to reduce the grape phenolics). The juice was then floated and inoculated. This was followed by cool fermentation with an organic yeast, in order to optimise the aromatics, and the ferment was stopped when deemed in balance. Once finished, the wines were stabilised and bottled in June 2018.

Tasting Notes

Colour: Pale with golden touches.

Aroma: Delicate aromas of rockmelon, green tea and lime that yield to additional layers of pear and Turkish delight.

Palate: Beautiful melon and fruit sweetness underscored with lingering texture, mouthfeel and linear acidity.

Food match: A wine to enjoy with delicate Asian flavours, seafood of all sorts or simply with a friend.

Cellar: Up to 10 years.

Sustainably grown.

Vegan status: Vegan friendly.

Awards

Wine Enthusiast: 92 Points

Vineyard Notes

The grapes come from our family-owned Loveblock Farm in the Lower Awatere sub-region of Marlborough. Relatively unique in Marlborough, these grapes were sourced entirely from our organic Woolshed estate vineyard. Here, the vineyard soils are alluvial silt over stone. Organic management reduces the vigour of the vines, reducing berry size and hence overall yields. The grapes were harvested in March yielding two tonnes per acre.

Vinification

In making dry Pinot Gris, we have to manage the vine to give physiological ripeness at low Brix so that the wine is not overly alcoholic. Organic management does this for us, with the competition from the wild flowers and grasses forcing the vine to struggle. Once the grapes were deemed ripe the fruit was machine harvested and membrane pressed immediately (no preservatives were added in the field to reduce the grape phenolics). The juice was then floated and inoculated. This was followed by cool fermentation with an organic yeast, in order to optimise the aromatics, and the ferment was stopped when deemed in balance. Once finished, the wines were stabilised and bottled in February 2017.

Tasting Notes

Colour: Pale with golden touches.

Aroma: Delicate aromas of cantaloupe, green tea and lime that yield to additional layers of Nashi pear and prosciutto-wrapped melon.

Palate: Beautiful melon and fruit notes are underscored with lingering texture, mouthfeel and linear acidity.

Food match: A wine to enjoy with delicate Asian flavours, seafood of all sorts or just simply by itself.

Organic status: Certified organic – BioGro #5266.

Vegan status: Vegan friendly.

Cellar: Up to 10 years.

Vineyard Notes

The grapes come from our Loveblock Farm in the Lower Awatere sub-region of Marlborough. Half the grapes for this wine are from the valley floor – the alluvial nature of the soil here gives the wine weight and power. The hillside provides the rest of the fruit, with the clay base giving the wine its aromatics and linearity. The grapes were harvested in March, yielding seven tonnes per hectare.

Vinification

In making dry Pinot Gris, we have to manage the vine to give physiological ripeness at low Brix so that the wine is not overly alcoholic. Organics does this for us, with the competition from the wild flowers and grasses forcing the vine to struggle.
Once the grapes were deemed ripe, the fruit was machine harvested and membrane pressed immediately. No preservatives were added in the field. The juice was then gel floated and inoculated. This was followed by cool fermentation with an aromatic yeast to optimise the aromatics and the wine was allowed to go to dryness. Once finished, the wine was evaluated, blended, stabilised and bottled in October 2014.

Tasting Notes

Colour: Pale with golden touches.

Aroma: Delicate aromas of rockmelon, green tea and lime that yield to additional layers of pear and prosciutto-wrapped melon.

Palate: Beautiful fruit notes underscored with lingering texture, mouthfeel and complexity.

Food match: A wine to enjoy with delicate Asian flavours, seafood of all sorts or just simply with a friend.

Organic status: Certified organic – BioGro #5266.

Cellar: Over four years.

Awards

The Shout, Tasting Notes with Cameron Douglas MS, Feb 2018: 89 Points

2016 IWSC International Wine and Spirits Competition: Bronze

2016 New World Wine Awards: Bronze

Winestate Wine of the Year Special Edition 2016: 4 Stars

Winestate Best of Varietal/Style AU & NZ 2016: 4 Stars

Winestate Annual Pinot Gris Wine Show 2016: 4 Stars, Top in Category

2015 New Zealand Organic Wine Awards: Gold

2015 Marlborough Wine Show: Bronze

Winestate May/June 2015: 3 Stars

Vineyard Notes

The grapes come from our Loveblock Farm in the Lower Awatere sub-region of Marlborough. Relatively unique in Marlborough, these grapes were sourced entirely from the Hillside vineyard. The soil structure is far different from the valley floor below, with six inches of top soil sitting above impenetrable tight clay. This means the vigour of the vineyard can be easily managed by water. The vineyard is very exposed and the vines struggle with the wind giving us very small berries and, subsequently, intense aromas and flavours in our Pinot Gris. The grapes were harvested in March yielding two tonnes per acre.

Vinification

In making dry Pinot Gris, we have to manage the vines to give physiological ripeness at low Brix so the wine is not overly alcoholic. The Hillside vineyard does this for us, with the wind and the lack of water holding capacity in the soil forcing the vines to struggle. Once the grapes were deemed ripe, the fruit was machine harvested and membrane pressed immediately. No preservatives were added in the field to reduce the grape phenolics. The juice was then gel floated and inoculated, cool fermentation with an aromatic yeast to optimise the aromatics followed and the ferment was stopped when deemed in balance. Once finished, the wines were stabilised and bottled in February 2015.

Tasting Notes

Colour: Pale with golden touches.

Aroma: Delicate aromas of rockmelon, green tea and lime that yield to additional layers of pear and Turkish delight.

Palate: Beautiful melon and fruit sweetness underscored with lingering texture, mouthfeel and linear acidity.

Food match: A wine to enjoy with delicate Asian flavours, seafood of all sorts or simply with a friend.

Cellar: Over four years.

Sustainably grown.

Awards

Wine Spectator: 88 Points

Vineyard Notes

The grapes come from our Loveblock Farm in the Lower Awatere sub-region of Marlborough.  Half the grapes for this wine come from the valley floor and due to the alluvial nature this gives the wine weight and power. The hillside provides the rest of the fruit and the clay base there gives the wine its aromatics and linearity. The grapes were harvested in March yielding two tonnes per acre.

Vinification

In making dry Pinot Gris, we have to manage the vine to give physiological ripeness at low Brix so the wine is not overly alcoholic. Organics does this for us with the competition from the wild flowers and grasses forcing the vine to struggle. Once the grapes were deemed ripe, the fruit was machine harvested and membrane pressed immediately. No preservatives were added in the filed. The juice was then gel floated and inoculated. Cool fermentation with an aromatic yeast to optimise the aromatics followed and the wine was allowed to go to dryness. Once dry the wines from the hill and valley floor were evaluated, blended, stabilised and bottled.

Tasting Notes

Colour: Pale with golden touches.

Aroma: Floral with ripe pineapple, lychee and stone fruit.

Palate: Poached pear and red pomolo/blood orange with good mouthfeel, crisp acidity and a lingering finish.

Food match: Crying out for seafood and delicate Vietnamese and Cambodian food.

Cellar: Up to 10 years.

Vineyard Notes

The grapes come from our Loveblock Farm in the Lower Awatere sub-region of Marlborough. Half the grapes for this wine come from the valley floor and due to the alluvial nature this gives the wine weight and power. The hillside provides the rest of the fruit and the clay base there gives the wine its aromatics and linearity. The grapes were harvested in March yielding two tonnes per acre.

Vinification

In making dry Pinot Gris, we have to manage the vine to give physiological ripeness at low Brix so the wine is not overly alcoholic. Organics does this for us with the competition from the wild flowers and grasses forcing the vine to struggle. Once the grapes were deemed ripe, the fruit was machine harvested and membrane pressed immediately. No preservatives were added in the field. The juice was then gel floated and inoculated, cool fermentation with an aromatic yeast to optimise the aromatics followed and the wine was allowed to go to dryness. Once dry the wines from the hill and valley floor were evaluated, blended, stabilised and bottled.

Tasting Notes

Colour: Pale with golden touches.

Aroma: Floral with citrus flower notes.

Palate: Granny Smith apple and Nashi pear, the wine is Pinot Grigio in style with a lifted flavour profile. Cantaloupe and citrus shine through on the back palate.

Food match: Crying out for seafood and delicate Vietnamese and Cambodian food.

Organic status: Certified organic – BioGro #5266.

Cellar: Up to 10 years.

Awards

Bob Campbell: 89 Points

The Wine Front: 91 Points

Vineyard Notes

The grapes come from our Loveblock Farm in the Lower Awatere sub-region of Marlborough. The soil type is predominantly aged alluvial loams containing some clay over stone. Depending on vigour, the vines were cane pruned to either one or two canes and trained to vertical shoot position. The warm spring brought ideal early growing conditions and a tip-top flowering season. Pinot Gris has a propensity to over crop, so before veraison the vines were extensively thinned. At veraison the bunches were again colour thinned to ensure even ripening. The grapes were harvested on 19th and 26th April 2011 and due to the young nature of the vines, yields were less than two tonnes per acre.

Vinification

Where possible the grapes were machine harvested, with around a quarter of them being hand-picked. The grapes were transferred to the winery where they were destemmed and crushed before being lightly pressed. The hand-harvested portion was whole bunch pressed. The juice was cold settled for 36 hours, racked, warmed and inoculated with organic yeast. The wine was then cool fermented until deemed in balance when the fermentation was stopped. The wine was racked, stabilised and filtered for bottling in April 2012.

Tasting Notes

Colour: Pale golden with hints of green.

Aroma: A bursting pot-pourri of yellow wildflowers underscored with ripe pear, lychee and Turkish delight notes.

Palate: The wine explodes into your mouth with layers of ripe pear, lychee, musk melon and almond flavour. Finishing dry, the wine has great fruitiness, minerality and length with a touch of lime on the back palate.

Food match: Any spicy dish, Vietnamese and Cambodian food or all by itself.

Organic status: In conversion.

Cellar: Up to 10 years.

Awards

Wine Enthusiast: 88 Points

Bob Campbell: 91 Points

IWC Intentional Wine Challenge: Commended