WINE REVIEWS: A taste of pinot gris

---

This line-up of pinot gris ran the gamut from wines that tasted like an alcoholic tinned fruit salad to some that suggested sucking on cardboard that had been dipped in fruit juice.

But between were some delicious ones, with mouthfilling fruit balanced by a crisp acidity and a long finish.

---

◊ BEST VALUE
Lake Hayes Central Otago Pinot Gris 2009.
(about $25)

This oozes ripe peach, pear and tropical fruit with a hint of citrus, but it's the juicy, mouthfilling crispness, intensity and lively long finish that give this wine such charm.

- Four stars (out of five)
- Good Value

www.amisfield.co.nz [1]

[1]

---

◊ BEST VALUE
Triplebank Marlborough Pinot Gris 2009.
(about $24)

I've enjoyed this wine from the Awatere alley since its first vintage about five years ago, and this release is no exception.

It oozes ripe tropical fruit - papaya, mango - but its silky texture hints of biscuits and nuts and it has a bright tingly finish.

- Four stars (out of five)
- Good value

www.pernod-ricard-pacific.com [2]

---

The Ned Waihopai River Marlborough Pinot Gris 2009
(about $19)

A pale brownish tinge in this wine is unusual in a pinot gris, but there's simple sweet fruit, with a hint of creaminess and a dryish, slightly bitter finish.

- Two stars (out of five)
- Average value

www.thened.co.nz [3]

---

Olssens Tom Logan Central Otago Pinot Gris 2009
(about $28)

The first vintage of this wine, it is in a medium style, attractively fragrant and oozing fruit - pineapple and peach.

A big wine, bright, intense and sweet with a hot but crisp finish.

- Three stars (out of five)
- Below average value

www.olssens.co.nz [4]

---

Lawson's Dry Hills Marlborough Pinot Gris 2009
(about $26)

A mouthfilling wine with rich fruit, a hint of mineral and underlying savoury flavours and textures. It's dense but harmonious.

- Four stars (out of five)
- Average value

www.lawsonsdryhills.co.nz [5]

---

Ohau Gravels Pinot Gris 2009
(about $23)

From a new vineyard in the new Kapiti wine area, this oozes golden peach, pear, tropical fruit - a bit like a fruit salad, but it has an attractive, juicy intensity.

- Three stars (out of five)
- Average value

www.ohaugravels.co.nz [6]

---

Two stars

- simple, clean, enjoyable wine; three stars - good wine with varietal characteristics; four stars - very good wine with some outstanding characteristics; five stars - outstanding wine with balance and harmony that leaves you with a sense of wonder.

Although wine sent for review is tasted blind to eliminate preconceptions, all wine tasting and evaluation is subjective. These are personal recommendations.

- charmian.smith@odt.co.nz [7]