The fruit for the MWC Pinot Gris was sourced from the hills of the cool climate Strathbogie Ranges and the Victorian side of the Murray River. The Strathbogie Ranges has warm sunny days and cool evening temperatures which are perfect for the growing of good quality Pinot Gris. The Northern Victoria fruit experiences warmer days and nights causing riper characteristics to develop in the grape and the blending of the different growing areas adds interesting and complex layers to the wine. The grapes were harvested during the cool of the night to maintain fruit freshness and gently pressed to minimise phenolic characters. The wine was fermented in various parcels, with a small portion receiving careful oak treatment, with extended lees contact to build structure yet retain good fruit balance. As Pinot gris is naturally a red wine grape, we have allowed the wine to retain its natural colour during the winemaking process, resulting in a fuller bodied wine with a lovely aromatic profile.

Vintage 2019 is best described as a waiting game. The season was very long with fruit slow to ripen and although the urge just to pick it all was there, we had to bide our time until we had optimal flavours and ripeness. Once I made the decision to pick the grapes came in at an orderly pace, although increased yields due to the rain in spring made the juggling game in the winery even more challenging, with tank space at a premium. We made it through our marathon 2019 vintage and are thrilled with the exceptional quality including a number of really extraordinary parcels.