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Lawson's Dry Hills Pinot Gris 2011

Sourced from the Barnsley and the company vineyards in the beautiful Waihopai Valley, where clay soils and a unique climate produce intensley flavoured Pinot Gris grapes. Careful attention to viticulture, together with gentle nurturing in the winery has produced a wine with lifted pear drop and honeysuckle aromatics, whilst the palate displays red apple and citrus flavours. The combination of low yields, fermentation of part of the blend in seasoned French oak barriques and lees stirring has produced a wine with wonderful texture, complexity and length.

Intense pear drop. honeysuckle, red apple and subtle creamy vanilla aromas produce a complex and intriguing nose. The palate is rich and round with impressive length and a sliver of sweetness. Red apple and poached pear fruit characters from the grapes combine with mealy textures and flavours derived from the lees stirring and barrel fermentation to produce an elegant, complex wine.

Winemaker: Marcus Wright/Rebecca Wiffen

Region: Marlborough

Variety: Pinot Gris

Producer: Lawson's Dry Hills Wines Ltd

Merchant:

Wine Notes

Winemaker Notes: The grapes were pressed, with the free run juice settled overnight before fermentation in stainless steel tanks at cool tempertures to retain the fruit characters. Post fermentation the wine was aged on yeast lees to add texture and subtle flavours. The pressings(16.5%) were fermented in older French oak barriques and puncheons with wild and cultured yeast, this portion is rich and round and provides body, spice and mouthfeel.

Viticulture Notes: The grapes for this wine come from the adjacent Barnsley and Lawson's vineyards in Marlborough's Waihopai Valley. A rigorous program of hand leaf plucking, shoot and crop thinning allowed excellent ripening of a small, intensely flavoured crop. Another perfect season allowed us to pick the fruit in perfect condition, with a wonderful array of typical Pinot Gris flavours. The Lawson's vineyard was harvested in late March, whilst the Barnsley vineyard was allowed extra "Hang Time" before harvesting in mid April with a small amount of shrival and intense flavours.

Technical Details

Alcohol: 13.8 %

Residual Sugar: 7.0g/L

Total Acidity: 4.9g/L

ph: 3.60

Brix: 23.4 - 24.2 °

Consuming

Cellaring: This wine will develop slowly over the next two to three years, becoming richer with honey, toast and stonefruit characters becoming more dominant.

Food Match: Spicy crab cakes, strong cheeses or cold chicken

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TiZwine.com Review

Golden in colour with lychees on the nose. Tropical fruit comes through strongly in the palate where it is countered by bold acidity. Should soften and develop in the coming months.

Other Reviews

Hospitality Magazine - (Peter Saunders)
Sound, clean and fresh, With seasoned oak only just noticeable. A lovely pear character is starting to emerge and will show beautifully over the summer and into 2013.

Otago Daily Times - (Charmian Smith)
FOUR STARS - GOOD VALUE - Fragrant and zesty with hints of pungent herbs and flowers, a silky texture and lots of character. Oozes mouthfilling fruit with hints of nuts. Not for the faint-hearted.

Raymond Chan Wine Reviews - (Raymond Chan.)
FOUR STARS - This has a full, aromatic bouquet of exotic florals and yellow stone fruits, lifted with youthful fermentation esters. The nose has richness and depth. Dryish to taste and full-bodied, restrained stone fruit flavours and subtle spice notes gently fill the palate. The mouthfeel is soft, rounded and near unctuous, the low acidity and unobtrusive alcohol contributing to to a sense of generosity. The wine has good depth and length, with nuances of spice and lifted esters showing on the finish. Avery aromatic wine, that will develop greater richness and flavour over the next three to four years.

Sam Kim (Wine Orbit) - (Sam Kim)
Youthful and full of ripe flavours - peach, pear, pineapple and floral. The palate is succulent and silky smooth with subtle sweetness and nicely integrated acidity. Richly textured and fabulously long on the finish.

The Press (Christchurch) - (Graham Stringer)
A very good wine from the start of its yellow gold(with just a tinge of pink colour) through to the long luscious and satisfying finish. The middle bits are juicy, rich and complex with plenty of classic apple and pear Pinot Gris flavours. Top wine from a top producer.

www.wineoftheweek.com - (Sue Courtney)
Lawson's Dry Hills Pinot Gris 2011 is straw gold in colour and has a tantalising tropical fruit aroma that's infused with tangelo zest. It seduces me instantly, as do the juicy and delicious flavours. Crammed with apples, pears, citrus and honeydew melon. There are some classic Pinot Gris characters and a bready richness to the finish that suggests a decent length of time on yeast lees.