Tasting Notes for Babich Headwaters Organic Pinot Gris 2020 from the Winery

Our Marlborough Pinot Gris has aromas of ginger, pear and Braeburn apple with white floral notes and cinnamon. Fullish and rich on entry with a very smooth progression through the palate to a warm, spicy finish. Fresh fruits, apple and pear, are joined by orange and peach with a crème brûlée note lingering. This wine is widely considered one of the best New Zealand Pinot Gris' produced in recent years.

Winemaker Notes

Fruit was harvested from our Echelon and Cowslip Valley vineyards in the Waihopai Valley and Headwaters vineyard in the Wairau. The fruit spent about 5 hours on skins to extract more flavour and build mouthfeel. While predominately tank fermented, a significant proportion is fermented in seasoned oak barrels to increase complexity.

Food Pairing

This Marlborough Pinot Gris works well with snapper fillets, rolled in fresh breadcrumbs and shallow fried, or with hot baked ham and glazed kumara.

Awards

"Reasonably complex bouquet with aromas of autumn leaves, stewed windfall apples and with hints of spice, vanilla and lavender. A rich, dry, oily style with good concentration, length and balance."
90 POINTS NZ Wine Rater

Grape Varieties: Pinot Gris
Region: Marlborough
Harvest method: Machine
Processing: 5 hours skin contact & extended lees stirring pre & post ferment.
Fermentation vessel: Tank and barrel (+25% old oak)
Fermentation: 12% wild yeast, balance inoculated with various yeast and fermented at various temperatures (14-26°C)
Malolactic: None
Maturation: Various
Fining: Plant Protein
Filtration: Yes

REVIEWS (for previous vintage)

“Varietal enticing bouquet of Gris with apple, pear and white fleshed fruits.  A soft white pepper layer and light lees and ginger note. Crisp and fruity with flavours that reflect the nose plus a touch of lemon and barley sugar. A dryish finish with flavours transitioning through white fleshed fruits into citrus and a hint of mineral.”
90 POINTS
-Cameron Douglas MS, The Shout, Aug 2018 issue

4 STARS – Cuisine Magazine, Feb 2019