Misha's Vineyard Dress Circle Central Otago Pinot Gris 2021

Misha's Vineyard Dress Circle Central Otago Pinot Gris 2021Dry style French oak White stone fruit White florals "This is fabulously poised and elegantly expressed, showing white flesh stone fruit, Nashi pear, jasmine and lemon pith nuances, leading to a beautifully flowing palate that's juicy and fleshy. Richly textured and persistent with delectable flavours within a delightfully elegant frame. At its best: now to 2030" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Sep 2022 "Youthful, vibrant and new with aromas of white spice and

• Dry style
• French oak
• White stone fruit
• White florals

"This is fabulously poised and elegantly expressed, showing white flesh stone fruit, Nashi pear, jasmine and lemon pith nuances, leading to a beautifully flowing palate that's juicy and fleshy. Richly textured and persistent with delectable flavours within a delightfully elegant frame. At its best: now to 2030" Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, Sep 2022

"Youthful, vibrant and new with aromas of white spice and white fleshed fruits, there’s a quiet yet distinctive quince note with a mineral and floral lift.  Really lovely textures on the palate with a fleshy, lush mouthfeel accentuated with acidity and a topline of spice. Fruit flavours mirror the bouquet with pears and apple, quince and honeysuckle and a light lemon twist. A wine with weight breadth and substance. A delicious drink from day of purchase and through 2027+" Cameron Douglas, Master Sommelier, Oct 2022

"Attractively fragrant pinot gris with ripe pear, apple, honeysuckle, anise and spice flavours. Made in an off-dry style, with an initial suggestion of sweetness that is balanced by fruity acidity to give a dry-ish finish. Smooth-textured with a lengthy finish" Bob Campbell, Master of Wine, Real Review, Feb 2022

"Bright, pale straw yellow, even colour throughout. The nose is gently full, growing in depth, displaying aromas of quince and pear, melded with honeysuckle and five spice. Medium-full bodied, dry to taste, collected aromas of quince, pear, and a suggestion of toffee apple entwined with honeysuckle, ginger and cinnamon. Opulent fruit shows depth and power with richness and spice. The mouthfeel is refined, textural and unctuous. This powerful and rich Pinot Gris shows concentrated fruit adorned with spice, and an unctuous palate lends a dry, long finish" Candice Chow, Raymond Chan Reviews, Sep 2022

Expressive aromatics with ripe pear, red apple, cinnamon and white flowers, this off-dry style balances a ‘sweet fruit’ impression with a long dry finish.

Misha’s Vineyard is located on a spectacular site in New Zealand on the edge of Lake Dunstan in the Bendigo sub-region of Central Otago. The sun drenched north-west facing terraces of the 57 hectare estate provide optimal conditions for producing world-class Pinot Noir and aromatic white varieties. Our ‘no compromise’ philosophy requires exacting viticulture regimes, hand-picking, and considerate winemaking methodologies.

A chilly start to the season was followed by warm settled weather enabling some fast growth on the vineyard. By the end of November when flowering started, the spring winds came with a vengeance and continued into December bringing a dip in temperatures whilst flowering occurred on the higher altitudes. By the end of December, the wind stopped but wet and cloudy conditions persisted through January. The following two months had warmer temperatures and the combination of January’s rain followed by this consistent warm period resulted in the canopy and crop levels looking much better than initially predicted. The Pinot Gris grapes were hand-picked in early April at 5.6 tonnes per hectare with the fruit having excellent condition and flavours along with lower sugar and acid levels. Growing Degree Days (GDDs) were 1114.

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 coolfermented (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 (27% of blend) with indigenous yeast to add more yeast complexity and build mid-palate texture into the wine.

Food Pairing: 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.