Sheild Pinot Gris, Nelson, New Zealand 2022

Vinification: Two clones of Pinot Gris 2/21 and Lincoln Berrysmith contribute nuances to this wine. These clonal parcels are from two different vineyards, Brightwater on the Waimea plains and Old House Road on the Moutere Clays. The two picks were three weeks apart but processed in the same manner, machined harvested in the cool of morning, then carted to the winery, the juice enjoying a minimum of an hour soaking on skins. This journey resulting in good extraction of fine phenolics and flavour precursors. Once received the fruit was quickly processed and pressed to de-juice. Once separated the juices, were cold- settled, and racked to achieve low solidsprior to ferment- promoting crisper and more pure aromatics. The earliest juice, from the Moutere was co-fermented with two ester producing yeast, to maximise the florals from this lower Brix juice. The later riper juice from Brightwater was fermented with an alternative (non- Saccharomyces) yeast strain chosen for the spice and funk it brings to a wine. An
excellent tool for encouraging character! Careful temperature control of the
ferments in stainless steel enabled each yeast to be managed at its optimum run carefully and quickly finished for bottling
in the first week of October 2022.