2010 GREYSTONE PINOT NOIR - ARE YOU BOLD ENOUGH?

New Zealand is regarded as one of the best sources of authentic Pinot Noir outside of Burgundy. Regions such as Martinborough, Central Otago and Canterbury illustrate that the variety has a lot to offer in the Land of the Long White Cloud.

Waipara Valley is located to the north of Christchurch on the east coast of New Zealand’s south island. Home to stand out producer Pegasus Bay, it has a track record of producing good quality Pinot Noir, albeit in a New World idiom (this imbiber would argue that inevitable comparisons between New World Pinot Noir and red Burgundy make little sense……yes, similar clones and vinification techniques might be employed, but one shouldn’t necessarily expect Pinot Noir grown in New Zealand to mirror that grown south of Dijon).

The 2010 Pinot Noir from Greystone Wines is very much a full flavoured, powerful, dare I say masculine expression of the variety. Relatively deeply coloured for a Pinot Noir, it possesses a deeply flavoured palate of black fruit, freshly tilled earth providing a touch of lift. Although ‘big’ in many aspects, the wine retains varietal character and thankfully doesn’t drift into ‘dry red’ country. For those who enjoy their Pinot Noir at the bigger boned end of the spectrum, there’s plenty to enjoy here.

2010 PINOT NOIR
Producer: Greystone
Variety: Pinot Noir
Vintage: 2010
Region: Waipara Valley, New Zealand
ABV: 14.4%
Closure: Screw cap
Retail Price: $29.99
Date tasted: 21 July 2013

Tasting Note:
Medium cherry red. Open fruit forward nose of black cherry, dark plum, tilled earth and oak spice. Rich, full flavoured palate, quite full in body, dark cherry and damson fruit to the fore, slightly earthy/herbal undertow. All in all, this is a rich and powerful Pinot Noir, unquestionably New World.
Score: 15.5/20

2011 GREYSTONE SAND DOLLAR PINOT GRIS - JUMP!

Ever popular, Pinot Gris/Grigio is a variety that all too often flatters to deceive. With its modest acidity and gentle aromatic profile, it often comes over (to this imbiber at least) as a low rent Chardonnay. However, to every rule, there are many exceptions. One such exception is the Sand Dollar Pinot Gris 2011 from New Zealand’s Greystone Wines.

This particular example takes its cue from Alsace and does so very well indeed. It is a wine that certainly doesn’t under-deliver in flavour. The wine literally jumps out of the glass with apple and pear orchard fruit intermingled with stonefruit and spice. The palate is similarly full flavoured; this is a wine that is about bold flavour. It’s no shrinking violet!

Although there is residual sweetness here, the wine finishes dry, lending a good sense of balance to the wine. As with some Alsatian examples of Pinot Gris, the alcohol is toward the higher end of the scale at 14%, though one would be surprised if it were slightly higher. However, it is held in check thanks to the wine’s considerable power and flavour profile.

This is a wine that begs for moderately spiced Asian cuisine; Chinese, Thai, Malaysia, Indian, all of them would work. Alternately, the gentle sweetness would be a good foil for salty smoked meats. Kudos to Greystone Wines for producing a Pinot Gris that stands out from the pack.

2011 SAND DOLLAR PINOT GRIS
Producer: Greystone
Variety: Pinot Gris/Grigio
Vintage: 2011
Region: Waipara Valley, New Zealand
ABV: 14.0%
Closure: Screw cap
Retail Price: $24.99
Date tasted: 21 July 2013

Tasting Note:
Lemon yellow with green tinges. Open aromatic nose of green apple, pear, lychee and spice. Off-dry, deeply flavoured, the palate is similar in profile to the bouquet, excellent depth and varietal definition. Oodles of flavour here, if not necessarily subtlety. Finishes slightly dry, which gives the wine a good sense of balance. Textbook Pinot Gris in the Alsatian style.
Score: 16.5+/20