2025 Philip Shaw The Gardener Pinot Gris, Orange

Light straw to copper hue. Red apple and baking sweet pastry aromatics. A fuller style, red apple at the core with a creamy textural element. Glides long and still has enough acidity to drive it. Finishes soft and cleanly. Drink 2025-2029.

90 points Stuart Knox for The Real Review, January 2025

Pinot Gris can easily tip into softness — a little too much residual sugar, a little too much weight, and the variety loses its appeal with food. The Gardener avoids that entirely. Daniel Shaw positions this firmly as a dry, savoury style, and the winemaking follows through. Fruit from neighbouring Orange vineyards is pressed quickly off skins to preserve freshness and minimise colour extraction. A portion ferments in older oak for texture, the rest in stainless steel for brightness, with wild yeast throughout and extended lees ageing to build mouthfeel.

The result is a Pinot Gris with genuine character — nashi pear, white nectarine and honeysuckle on the nose, with a spiced, citrus-edged palate that is dry, weighty and finely textured. There's nothing heavy or soft about it. The cool Orange climate keeps everything in check.

Works particularly well at the table — think Thai, Vietnamese, pork, soft cheeses, or anything with a gentle spice. Equally good as a serious aperitif.

Drink now through 2027.