Martinborough Vineyards Pinot Gris 2009 – 6 bottle case Your Wine Guy

Shopping Cart

Your basket is empty

Martinborough Vineyards Pinot Gris 2009 – 6 bottle case

95 Points YWG
Excellent Quality Pinot Gris
Limited Release
$44.80 per bottle
6 bottle case

Retail Price:	$359.70
Our Price:	$268.80

Add to Cart

Qty :

Add Review

Ask a Question

Winery: Martinborough Vineyards
Region: Martinborough, NZ
Variety:Pinot Gris
Vintage: 2009

Your Wine Guy says:

Whether you call know it as Gris or Grigio it’s the same grape just picked at different times and made slightly differently. Martinborough Vineyards make this Gris in the style made famous by the wines from Alsace giving particular attention to palate texture. The nose is rich with spicy pear and that Martinborough regional nougat note that I have noticed in a number of Pinot Gris from that region, delicious. The palate follows suit showing notes of tasty pear with citrus and finishes very long with a fantastic balance of fruit and acid.
95 Points YWG Drink to 2015

The winemaker says:

“Martinborough Vineyard Pinot Gris is rich and harmonious with aromas of ripe pear and spice flavours, with floral notes in the background. Made in the Alsatian style, where texture is the key element, this wine shows mouth-filling richness and smoothness on the palate that is well balanced by its phenolic weight and ripeness. A small amount of residual sugar (9.5g/L) balances the lovely textural elements of this wine. Our 2009 Pinot Gris will be best enjoyed in its youth but will further develop over the next 5+ years.
In 2005 we planted a new clone of Pinot Gris called Lincoln Berrysmith, on our Moy Hall block. This is our second crop off this block and we are very excited about its potential. We planted this clone because it produces smaller berries than other clones of Pinot Gris and smaller berries mean more flavour, richness and concentration and this is exactly what we are trying to achieve in our Pinot Gris. This was blended with Pinot Gris of the much later ripening Hanson block to make up our 2009 Pinot Gris. All crop levels were reduced to one bunch a shoot, extensive leaf plucking on the sheltered side of the vine and longer hang time were all carried out to ensure only the ripest grapes would make it into this wine.” – Paul Mason Winemaker

Winery Information:

YWG note: The Martinborough Vineyards Pinot can even surpass Burgundy’s best. The Martinborough Vineyards Reserve 1998 Pinot Noir ($200 per bottle) beat the Domaine de la Romanee-Conti ($5000 per bottle) at a blind tasting at the international Pinot challenge in the US in March 2011.
I don’t have any of the ’98 Reserve, but I do have the 2009 Martinborough Vineyards Estate Pinot and also their second label the ‘Te Tera’. The estate label has much more dense fruit and intensity and will continue to evolve for at least 10 years.

The following information is sourced from Martinborough Vineyards http://www.martinborough-vineyard.co.nz 04/08/11

In 1978 a DSIR (NZ’s version of the CSIRO) report was published that analysed which areas in New Zealand were best suited for the production of high quality wines from classical grape varieties. Based on available data at the time, the report concluded that the closest New Zealand climatic analogous to Burgundy was to be found in the small rain shadow centred on the township of Martinborough in the southern Wairarapa. This resulted in the establishment of Martinborough Vineyard in 1980.
The free draining soils, hot summers and reliable long dry autumn suggested that the area was ideally suited to Burgundian style wines especially Pinot noir. One of the authors of the report, Dr Derek Milne, was so convinced of the validity of their conclusions that, together with a group of 5 other enthusiasts, bought 16 acres in the zone and started Martinborough Vineyard.
Today five of the six original enthusiasts remain as the shareholders and four as directors of Martinborough Vineyard Ltd.
The original vineyard was planted in Pinot noir, Chardonnay, Riesling, Sauvignon blanc and Gewurtztraminer grapes."The plan was to plant a small area and prove that great wine could be made in the district" says Duncan Milne, brother of Derek who, together with his wife Claire Campbell, are both shareholders in Martinborough Vineyard.
"The trouble was, no one told us how compelling the hunt for a great Pinot noir can be and here we are, after more than twenty years more deeply involved than ever before!"
The first vines were planted by Russell Schultz and Derek Milne in 1980.
There followed an era of total shareholder involvement with Russell Schultz making the wine whilst the other families, grandparents to grandchildren, pitched in to help plant, pick and prune.
The first commercial vintage occurred in 1984. After the 1985 vintage Russell Schultz realised he had to either commit to full time winemaking or stay with his first career as a pharmacist. "The problem" he says "is that the more you learn, the less you know.
If I had chosen winemaking I would have had to go back to school. I reluctantly relinquished my dream and decided to remain a pharmacist".
The directors then went out to look for a full time winemaker (the first to be employed in Martinborough).
They approached Larry McKenna, a winemaker at Delegats, in Auckland. Larry, an Australian, says, "What impressed me about these people was their commitment to produce only the very finest wines". Larry's first vintage was 1986 and he took over as Chief Executive Officer from Duncan Milne in 1987.
So began a passionate search for the finest New World Pinot noir that was to continue to the present day.

Wines available from Your Wine Guy include:
Martinborough Vineyards Pinot Gris
Martinborough Vineyards Te Tera Pinot Noir
Martinborough Vineyards Estate Pinot Noir