WAIPARA PINOT GRIS 2009
NEW RELEASE June 2009
We used to have a Torlesse Pinot Gris made from Canterbury grapes but our new Waipara vineyards have produced an excellent crop this vintage so we are pleased to release this in vogue wine style. Ripe grapes were a feature of the 2009 vintage with excellent fruit flavours. The trypical ripe pear fruit and hints of richer flavours like honey and bees wax are obvious on this wine. Barrel fermentation and lees stirring add another dimension and the wine is medium dry with a full creamy finish. This wine is very drinkable now but Pinot Gris does reward cellaring and will be at its best drinking with 3-5 years in bottle
2008 Torlesse Waipara Pinot Gris
Vineyards
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Grapes are from the Rayner, Palmer and McKenzie Vineyards located in Waipara at latitude 43° South, close to the winery. The soils vary from free draining sites of the Weka stream terraces to heavier clay loams on the Waipara valley floor, all the terrain is gently undulating. The average age of the vines varies from 4-7 years.
Wine Making
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Machine Harvested and hand harvested at various times in late April
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Harvest brix ranged from 23 to 25 Brix
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Pressing, then cold settling was followed by
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Fermentation in stainless steel tanks and some barriques
Bottle Details
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Alcohol 13.5 % by volume
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Acid 6.0 gm/L [as tartaric]
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Residual Sugar 15 gm/L
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280 cases produced
Winemaker’s Comments
The grapes are from three different vineyard sites that give a range of ripeness and hence different flavours
The different vineyards each impart their own distinctive character, the structure of the wine reflects the soil type, the heavier soils provide body and structure, the lighter soils add fresh aromatics. Pinot Gris tends to get quite ripe and can have some botrytis influence. The wines balance is achieved by ripe sweet fruit characters complimenting the glycerol and alcohol, some natural sweetness is left in the wine to keep the alcohol levels under 14%. The resultant wine shows ripe pear and apple with hints of honey. The palate has rich spicy fruit, made in a medium style and finishes full, soft and mouth filling. This wine can be enjoyed young, while fresh and fruity, but will reward cellaring developing a rich complex honey-like bouquet, yet still have finesse on the palate. This wine has used the screw top closure to preserve fresh fruit flavours or allow the wine to age gracefully and reach its full potential with no bottle variation.
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