NOTES
Wairau River Wines takes its name from the beautiful braided river on whose banks Phil and Chris Rose planted their first vines in 1978. (Wairau is Maori for ‘many waters’). At the top of New Zealand’s South Island, the river runs through the Wairau Valley in the temperate Marlborough region, which is framed by two ranges of hills. Marlborough’s maritime climate makes for a long growing season, and the land bordering the Wairau River at the foot of the Richmond Ranges enjoys long warm days and cool nights.
Wairau River is a family wine estate, and the beauty of this is that we nurture the wines from the smallest shoot on the vine to the bottle. Everything is done by us, hands on. In the vineyards Phil and Hamish Rose take care to keep yields low to ensure the fruit ripens perfectly (in the shallow soil with low fertility which gives rise to such concentrated flavours). Once the fruit is picked and brought in to the winery in small parcels, each distinctive block is matched to its own tank, allowing the small batch vintning that is the key to building all the elements of the Wairau River blend. It goes without saying that only the best grapes go into our flagship Wairau River label.
TASTING NOTES
Displaying succulent ripe pear aromas this dry style wine has mouth filling aromatic flavours of spice and quince with a truly satisfying rounded finish. The richly textured wine has a weighty lusciousness displaying great weight and length.
OTHER REVIEWS
For not-the-world's-biggest-Pinot-Gris- fan, this shattered my prejudices. Well a couple of them. It's a lovely wine, with the tempting qualities often promised of the variety (fragrance of pear; ripe' juicy fruit-salad flavours; decent weight, etc) and not, as is too often the case, let down by excess flab or alcohol. I've always considered Pinot Gris a lunch wine; if that be so, this cries out for the most languid, indulgent sort of repast, best experienced in a shady spot on a sun baked Marlborough vineyard. - Geoff Collett, Christchurch Press 10 January 2008
