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Bouldevines 2011 Marlborough Pinot Gris

A bit of a debate has been raging at Bouldevines recently. Bouldevines newly released aromatic wines are excellent, but they can't decide on what one is best, the Pinot Gris or the Gewurztraminer. One thing is certain though, the Gewurztraminer is proving very popular, with a recent order depleting Bouldevines stock and halting any hopes that I could provide a verdict.

I can still comment on the Pinot Gris though, and it should still be available for you, the readers to try too, but you might want to hurry.

The pinot Gris is the wine favoured by Bouldevines winemaker Drew Ellis. He comments that replacing some Pinot Noir vines with Pinot Gris some years back was " an inspired decision. I am really excited by what we got from those vines this year, the wine's exceptional. It's got everything you want in a Pinot Gris."

Not one to take the word of an award winning winemaker and leave it at that, I felt compelled to try this wine, but first some information on why this particular season was so exceptional.

The young Pinot Gris block is showing its cousin's aptitude for the site and is finally also coming of age. The season in Marlborough too was a bit of a slow starter, and the vines benefited lower crop levels and healthy canopies. This allowed full ripening and excellent fruit quality. It also meant the fruit was harvested relatively early, in mid April.

I indeed also found the resulting wine to be excellent. I found the pale straw coloured Bouldevines 2011 Pinot Gris to have wonderful aromas of pear and spiced apple with lifted floral notes. On the palate, I found this rich textured, well-balanced wine to have the delicious flavours of spiced, stewed pear and apple leading to a long lingering finish of pear and spice. This is a wine that is drinking superbly now but will develop more with a couple of years careful cellaring.

I would particularly recommend this wine with poached salmon or pasta with a creamy sauce.

Reviewed by Stephen Clark (14/11/2011)

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