2002 Pinot gris reviews

Michael Cooper
Classic Wines of New Zealand - Second Edition - 2005
****
Light yellow / green. Slightly less fragrant than the 2003. Strong, citrusy, mealy flavours, with hints of buttered toast and honey, a sliver of sweetness and a crisp, nutty finish. Maturing fairly quickly.

Peter Saunders
A Guide to New Zealand Wine - 2004
Partial barrel ferment, mostly wild yeast and lees stirred. Nicely minerally, almost dry, sturdy and opening out very well. Austere like a Chardonnay - or food wine - but working well.

Michael Cooper
Cuisine - March 2004
88 points
Substantial wine with strong, peachy, spicy flavours, oak and lees-ageing complexities and a deliciously creamy texture. A full, soft and slightly buttery wine, with distinctive overtones of Chardonnay.

Bob Campbell
New Zealand Home & Entertaining - Feb/March 2004
88 points
Classic pear and yeast lees flavours with an attractive, chewy richness and an etheral texture. Quite long. An oaky style with some complexity.

Peter Saunders
Winestate Magazine - March/April 2004
****
A little Burgundian, austere, intoverted at first yet with a sniff of sweetness. Older oak influence adds to the statement. A good drinking wine immediately but still evolving.

Michael Cooper
Michael Cooper's Buyer's Guide 2004
Since its launch in 1996, this poweful, concentrated wine has emerged as one of the best Pinot Gris in the country. It is fermented with a high percentage of indigenous yeasts, and lees-aged, partly in seasoned oak casks, in a bid to produce a 'Burgundian style with complexity, texture and weight' (small pockets of Pinot Gris can be found in Burgundy). The 2002 vintage (êêêê1/2) was grown in the McCreanor vineyard at Martinborough and the St Francis vineyard, in central Wairarapa. Showing good weight and complexity, with strong peachy, nutty flavours and a slightly buttery finish, it could probably be mistaken in a blink tasting for Chardonnay, but the pear and spice characters of Pinot Gris are also in evidence.

Peter Saunders
F&B (food & beverage marketplace) - October 2003
Partial barrel ferment, mostly wild yeast and lees stirred. Nicley minerally, almost dry, sturdy and opening out very well. A little austere while young but working well.

Charmian Smith
Otago Daily Times - 22 October 2003
Barrel fermentation with indigenous yeasts gives a mealy nuttiness and adds weight and complexity to this wine. Powerful, textural, layered and concentrated, it is a fine well-balanced wine. ****1/2

John Saker, Chris Comerford, Stephen Morris
Capital Times - Wine Report - 22 October 2003
Hints of meal and sweet coconut coming through on the nose. A weighty, oaky style with mid palate richness - date and stonefruit characters noted. êêêê

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