2025 Valli Vineyards Waitaki Pinot Gris, Waitaki Valley

Pale straw with green flashes and striking aromas of crunchy nashi pear, grapefruit, clover blossom, lime zest, white pepper and crushed riverstone. The palate is bone dry and finely focused, driving a crystalline line of crunchy green apple, pear and citrus sorbet across a finely textured palate-scape. Febrile, chalky acidity keeps it tightly coiled, extending into a crisp, mineral-driven finish. Super stuff from the South!

94 points & Special Value Dave Brookes for Halliday Wine Companion, October 2026

This wine was made from grapes grown in North Otago’s Waitaki Valley, the coolest and youngest of New Zealand’s wine regions. It is strongly influenced by the Pacific Ocean but has low mean annual rainfall of just over 4000mm. Featuring complex limestone, greywacke and schist soils flanking the Waitaki River, the name references the southern Kāi Tahu dialect of the northern Te Reo Māori word Waitangi, or weeping waters, representing the tears spilled by the Aoraki mountain (Mount Cook).

The Valli Waitaki vineyard sits at an elevation of 200 metres on limestone-based soils among river gravel.  The close-planted site has 5,000 vines per hectare and is primarily planted to Riesling, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

The 2025 season was cool and wet, but the Valli team was blessed with a good and healthy crop of Pinot Gris. Just over 80% of the wine fermented in well-seasoned oak barrels with the balance placed in stainless steel. The long, cool ferment was followed by a six-month rest on lees.

The finished blend is dry, with less than 1g/L residual sugar.

About this producer

Valli is the personal journey of pioneering Central Otago winemaker Grant Taylor who has been crafting wines there since 1993. In 2015, established Otago winemaker Jen Parr joined Grant in the winery, the two aiming to create wines with honesty, integrity, and a strong sense of place.