The Greywacke Pinot Gris is a luscious, rich, off dry style. Made like a Chardonnay but with no-malo as the very ripe grapes were already quite low in acidity. Golden fruits – pears, apricot, a bit of ginger spice. This is a bit of a ‘hidden treasure’ in the Greywacke range.
Winery notes (2024 Vintage)
"Imagine the ultimate upside-down cake, with aromas of peaches and cream, vanilla pod and a sprinkling of demerara sugar. A richly scented bouquet with notes of Turkish delight and creaming soda adding further complexity. The lively palate is anchored by white nectarine, with succulent stone fruit flavours and a seam of minerality providing drive to the long, off-dry finish. Fragrant, generous and undoubtedly moreish.
Hand-picking commenced in Restaurant Block on 15 March, concluding with Falveys on 4 April. The fruit was harvested at high ripeness levels and whole-bunch pressed using low maceration press cycles. The resulting juice was cold-settled, then racked to fermentation vessels. Most of the juice went through an indigenous yeast fermentation in old French oak barriques and the balance was fermented in stainless steel using cultured yeast. Towards the end of fermentation all the wine was transferred to stainless steel tanks, where fermentation was stopped, retaining 9.2 g/l residual sugar. Once blended, the wine was returned to old barrels, where it remained on yeast lees for a further six months. The wine was bottled on 28 January 2025, with alcohol 14.1%, pH 3.33 and acidity 5.4 g/l"
Reviews for previous vintages below…
Number 1 WineFolio.co.nz Top 10 Pinot Gris Tasting 2024 (2023 Vintage)
"A pale green-straw colour in the glass. A headily golden perfume, filled with quince, blood orange, gingerbread, sliced pear and jasmine flowers. “Really ripe” and succulent, we said. A complexity that takes in a broad opulence, but is also quite precise and structured. The texture reminds us of a spiced creme brûlée, with vanilla, citrus zest and caramel notes to match. A well-balanced finish with great length."
Joelle Thomson, drinksbiz Magazine October/November 2024 (2023 Vintage)
"The Judd winemaking family make this rich, textural, full-bodied Pinot Gris using barrel fermentation to build smooth, textural qualities into the wine while retaining flavours of pear and white peach. This complex Pinot Gris is a fab pairing for roasted vegetable dishes, roast chicken or pork. It drinks well now and will evolve favourably over the next four to five years."
93/100 Erin Larkin, RobertParker.com, December 2024 (2023 Vintage)
"The 2023 Pinot Gris is rich with flavour and texture, and I love it for that. There are notes of white pepper, pineapple husk, cracker biscuit, crushed shells, sourdough crust and lemon barley. This is a ripe, complex wine with impact and length, and if you ask winemaker Kevin Judd, he'll tell you (probably show you, if you ask nicely) that Pinot Gris ages gracefully too."
5 Stars Michael Cooper (2022 Vintage)
"A wine to ponder over, the 2022 vintage was grown at Renwick, in the Wairau Valley, hand-picked, mostly fermented in old French oak barriques, and then all matured in old barrels for a further six months. Bright, light yellow/green, it is a powerful, fleshy wine, with lush stonefruit flavours, an unobtrusive splash of sweetness (9.3 grams/litre of residual sugar), and finely balanced acidity. Already delicious, with notable complexity and richness, it should be at its best 2025+."