2021 Brokenwood Pinot Gris, Beechworth

Pinot Gris grapes can be quite coloured, even pink in some years; this wine is lovely yellow/green. The initial palate of ginger, pear and beeswax is carried by a zesty acidic backbone. Excellent fruit weight on the palate and not too high in alcohol at 12.5%. A delightful Pinot Gris that just asks to be consumed.

Pinot Gris is widely planted in Alsace, France and is in fact a mutation of Pinot Noir, best noted for its coloured berries and sometimes deeply coloured wine (for a white that is). Pinot Grigio, as it is known in Italy, ranges from a full-bodied white to a rather plain wine if picked before full ripeness. In terms of winemaking technique, both the French and Italians often leave some juice solids in the ferment to produce a fuller style. Here, the wines benefit from the cooler terroir but still have richness to them. The true character of Alsatian Pinot Gris lies somewhere between the intense perfume and musk of Gewurztraminer, and the floral finesse and purity of Riesling. This year the fruit was sourced from the Currency Creek region of the Fleurieu Peninsula of South Australia; this is due to the impact of bushfire smoke on the Indigo Vineyard in Beechworth over the 19/20 summer.