BAILLIEU VINEYARD
Pinot Gris 2010
Hand harvested on March 16 2010
Winemaker: Kathleen Quealy
Varietal Notes:
Made from 100% Pinot Gris grapes
Pinot Gris (also called Pinot Grigio in Italy) is a pleasant and tasty grape that may remind you of cream and apples. It can be vinified either slightly sweet or dry; both are good. Pinot Gris is much less perfumed than the related Gewürztraminer, but it makes up for lack of aroma with full flavors such as rich peach and pear, and an exciting spicy quality and acidity in the mouth.
Very versatile with food, the bright, light styles of Pinot Gris from Italy, Germany and the New World are lovely with salads, appetizers and simply prepared fish and shellfish. The greatest examples come from France’s Alsace, where Pinot Gris tends to be more concentrated and almost unctuous, pairing nicely with the same foods as Chardonnay.
ALCOHOL: 13.5%
Tasting Notes
COLOUR: Pale straw
BOUQUET: The aroma is full of poached pear, and luscious honeysuckle.
PALATE: The medium bodied palate is rich and round with hints of cinnamon spice characters, finishing with light mineral, honey nectar flavours.
WINEMAKING
According to the ‘Queen of Gris', winemaker Kathleen Quealy, the secret to Pinot Gris is plenty of ‘cool' sunshine, which is reflective of the Baillieu Vineyard site. Handpicked precisely on the right day 16 th March, the Pinot Gris crop had a low yield of 3 ton per acre. The grapes were whole bunch pressed to maintain beautiful clean, fresh fruit characters. The juice was fermented in stainless steel and bottled, creating a well rounded fruity style wine.
