NZ & International Pinot Gris

In the movie The Devil Wears Prada Meryl Streep plays Miranda Priestly, a demanding and generally unpleasant fashion-magazine editor. A staff member becomes the unfortunate recipient of an icy look when she offers ‘florals’ as a feature for the Spring issue. “Florals? For Spring?…” questions Miranda with a deathly withering tone, “...Groundbreaking.” No more is said on the subject.

That quote pops into my head when someone suggests having pinot noir from Central Otago. This isn’t to say that pinot from central is a bad idea – it’s a fantastic idea on any occasion – it’s just that it’s the obvious choice and Central Otago is capable of so much more: aromatics in particular. The huge diurnal range in Central Otago makes it a mecca for growing aromatic white varieties such as pinot gris, with those cold inland nights helping to keep the acidity high and the subsequent wines fresh and bright.

This example from Mt Difficulty’s Roaring Meg sub brand is just such a bright star with an attractive ripe fruit stamp on the nose and layered aromas of stonefruit and bright citrus. The palate, too, is bursting with flavour intensity and layer upon layer of fruit complexity and a lovely salinity that makes the mouth water. The palate is well weighted with a great texture and lovely persistence thanks to the taut acid profile. All this deliciousness culminates in a lengthy, flavourful finish that seems to go on and on. An elegant gris from the deep south.