Old Coach Road Nelson Pinot Gris 2024

90 Points (4.5 Stars) - Wine Orbit, June 2024, New Zealand

Vineyard: Seifried Brightwater, Redwood Valley, Queen Victoria & Rabbit Island vineyards
Sugar at Harvest: 22.4°Brix
Date of Harvest: Mid March 2024
pH of Wine: 3.38
T.A of Wine: 5.8g/L
Residual Sugar: 8.8g/L
Suitable for Vegetarians and Vegans: Yes

The 2024 Old Coach Road Pinot Gris was harvested from four of our Pinot Gris vineyard blocks. This allows us to take advantage of the various clones and nuances each site offers.

Our Brightwater vineyard is situated 15 km from the coast and is sheltered from the south by the Richmond ranges. The 'soil' is a combination of rocks and boulders which is very hard on farm equipment, but vital for holding the warmth of Nelson's sun and for ripening the grapes.

The unirrigated Redwood Valley vineyard is situated on a gently sloping, north-facing clay site; the vines range in age from 10 to 30 years. Vertical shoot positioning helps to expose the berries to sunlight, thus getting
maximum intensity and optimal ripeness.

Our Queen Victoria vineyard is located in the Motueka area in the heart of a region known for its apple orchards, kiwifruit and hops. Our grapes are grown on
very stony free-draining soils giving lovely fruit clarity and varietal intensity.

Our Rabbit Island Vineyard is situated on a wide river flat. The soil is gravelly sandy loam which is very free draining. This vineyard is about 1.5 km from the sea which helps moderate temperatures.

2024 was simply an outstanding vintage in Nelson - in fact Hermann Seifried has commented that it is perhaps the very best vintage of his 49 seasons in the top of the South! That from a character not known for exaggeration or embellishments. A dry settled growing season meant fruit was harvested in squeaky clean condition, with perfect ripeness and flavours.

We used separate parcels of Pinot Gris from our clay-soiled vineyards and stony/silty blocks to blend a complex wine. The wine pulls together fruit from our
varying Estate vineyards to make the best our terroirs have to offer.