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Otago Daily Times

Breaking out of the box can bring its own rewards

While tasting this Pinot Gris lineup with my colleague Mr Collins, we had considerable discussion about one of the wines: he initially struggled with the style, whereas I was a fan. Its hue and texture suggested time on skins, there was a hint of oxidative handling, it ticked some different boxes. Mr Collins is a consumer advocate and ventured the comment "would the average consumer think this is 'correct' and/or typical of the variety?" Typicality is something that many consumers aspire to; past experience leads to an expectation of what you get in a bottle/glass of wine. Yet winemakers pushing the envelope while embracing being atypical can bring its own rewards. 2024 Rockburn Central Otago Pinot Gris RRP $28 Price Rating Excellent Deeper colour. Red apple, pear, a light toffee note, flirts with savoury notes, white flowers florality more perfumed as it opens. Not your "typical" Gris, quince, apple, preserved lemon, a sense of development, then a rapier-like bolt of acidity. Dry, a grainy quality, quite different mouthfeel with a chalky aspect. If you're looking for standard Gris, look away, if you seek something fascinating, jump in boots and all. 2024 Martinborough Vineyard Te Tera Pinot Gris RRP $23.99 Price Rating Very Good to Excellent Attractively fragrant, apple and apricot, generous and engaging. Fatness and viscosity in the mouth, just a whisper off-dry yet freshness too and bright lift on the close. Rounded, dry honey, classically appealing Gris. With time the nose is more subtle, by contrast the palate more exuberant and if you're a Pinot Gris fan this will be bang on the money. 2024 Roaring Meg by Mt Difficulty Central Otago Pinot Gris RRP $22.99 Price Rating Very Good to Excellent Bright, youthfully expressed nose, pears poached in honey, perfume, a wisp of herb in the background, a little stony mineral perhaps. Sweetly fruited palate, candied fruits, fruit pastille, lime zest, this runs the fruit sweet path rather than being overtly sweet. Nice grip and refreshing acidity on the close adds to the whole. Very nicely done. 2024 Mt Difficulty Central Otago Pinot Gris RRP $26.99 Price Rating Very Good to Excellent An impression of being drier. Subtly attractive notes of nectarines and citrus, wisps of lanolin and herb with air. The palate offers fruit lozenge fruit sweetness, countered by juicy apple, a hint of bittersweet apricot kernel continuing the drier theme. With time gently nutty aspect to the nose, while a seashell nuance adds contrast to the palate. Builds nicely in the glass. 2024 Misha's Vineyard Dress Circle Central Otago Pinot Gris RRP $34 Price Rating Excellent Musk leaps out of the glass, rose, spices, nectarine, lovely fragrance. Creamy texture, carrying the characters from the nose to the palate, that spicy quality really evident, a mineral note, closing on lime zest. A drier style with impeccable balance, air sees this flesh out, the fruit sweetness now clear to see yet still closing dry. In a really good place to enjoy now. 2024 Pegasus Bay Whole Bunch Fermented Sauvignon Blanc RRP $28 Price Rating Excellent Bold nose with nettle, cut grass, smoke, orange rind, gooseberry joining in too. Nice vibrancy in the mouth, sweetly ripe fruit, melding that ripeness with the classically green herbal tanginess, again a cooling quality on the long, crisp finish. This is all in super balance, fleshing out further with air, the flavours even more intense, filling the mouth.