Little Beauty Limited Edition Pinot Gris 2022, Marlborough

Pinot Gris with texture rather than sugar. The one I put in front of people who say they do not like Pinot Grigio.

Site location Single vineyard, Waihopai Valley, Marlborough. Sub-region: 'Southern Valleys'.

Winemaker Eveline Fraser

Oenology On arrival at the winery the fruit was loaded into a tank press and gently pressed. The free run juice was enzyme settled before being racked into ferment in a stainless-steel tank and inoculated with cultured yeast. A cool ferment retained the subtle varietal characters and improves finesse and delicacy. Colour & Aroma: The 2022 Little Beauty Pinot Gris colour shows a hint of straw. Aromatically there's a lot of texture and character: baked peach, Danish pastry, orange blossom, kumquat, hints of apricot tarte tatin, lanolin, fresh ginger. Palate: The palate is creamy, textured, dense. Characters like roasted hazelnuts, nougat, marzipan (almond), stone-fruits, mango pulp and baked pear. It is weighty, rounded and persistent. Simply inviting another sip…moreish and gratifying.

Food Pairing Poultry, Gamebird, Crab, Crayfish, Pork (especially Pork Belly), Terrine, dishes featuring apricot or nuts. Genres of cuisine like Vietnamese, Thai, Moroccan, Malaysian.