The Dress Circle is the premium seating in the theatre and matches the location of our Pinot Gris. Situated on our middle terrace overlooking the spectacular vista of lake and mountains, it is indeed the ‘dress circle’ of the vineyard.
2021 Vintage
“An enticing nose of white pear and citrus with hints of rose and passionfruit, this dry style has a citrus freshness, notes of anise and a satisfying long delicate finish.” Olly Masters (Winemaker)
Vintage Notes
Warm temperatures at the start of the season, without the usual buffeting spring winds, resulted in rapid growth, aided by the moist ground from a wet winter. The warmth continued to flowering at the end of November before a cool front slowed growth but it was a good fruit set. January was hot and dry with a few consecutive days over 30°C. Conditions stayed warm for the rest of the season and harvest started at the end of March and continued over the next month. This was a dream season in terms of fruit quality and vine health with yields above the long-term average, and with an even berry size aiding flavour consistency and varietal expression. This season will be remembered as one of the best. This Pinot Gris was hand-picked at an average yield of 7 T/ha. Growing Degree Days (GDDs) were 1152.
Food Match
This is an ‘anytime’ white wine that can be enjoyed alone or matched with a wide variety of food including many Asian style stir-fries and dishes that are a little spicy. It’s also particularly good with shellfish, salmon, chicken, pork, and creamy-sauce pasta.
Details
| Region | Central Otago, New Zealand | Vineyard | Estate-grown, single vineyard |
| Sub-Region | Bendigo – Single Vineyard | Variety/ Clones | GM 2.15 (69%) Barrie (31%) |
| Planting | 2005, Altitude: 298 – 313m | Harvested | 20-21 April 2022 |
| Harvest Analysis | Brix: 24.1-24.3 / pH: 3.39-3,53 / TA: 4.85-5.5 g/l | Bottled | 22 September 2022 (Stelvin closure) |
| Wine Analysis | Alc:14% / pH: 3.44 / TA: 5.9 g/l | Cellaring | 1 – 6+ years |
| Residual Sugar | 3.4 g/l | Style | Dry |
Winemaking
This year the fruit was lightly crushed then gently whole bunch pressed to enhance varietal extraction but ensure low phenolic levels. The free run portion of the juice was kept separate and racked clear to stainless steel tanks, where it was inoculated and cool-fermented (14- 15°C) to retain varietal character. The pressings portion had some of the free run added back and was fermented at warmer temperatures (20°C) in older French oak hogshead barrels (43% of blend) with indigenous yeast to add more yeast complexity and build midpalate texture into the wine.
