Valli Waitaki Pinot Gris

"A pale golden hue with aromas of pear blossom, nashi pear, lemon, cream soda, and sea salt. The palate is complex and layered with flavours of crunchy pear, lemon zest, lime juice, and green apple; complementing a finely textured palate with great flow and salivating acidity. This sophisticated young wine is both charming and intense. It aptly captures the ethereal nature of the Waitaki and has great ageing potential. This Pinot Gris is engaging on its own but shows real magic when paired with delicious cuisine." Jen Parr

• Winery: Valli Vineyards
  
• Varietal: Pinot Gris
  
• Region: North Otago, New Zealand
  
• Vintage: 2023
  
• Alcohol: 13.5%
  
• Volume: 750ml
  
• Closure: Screwcap
• Food pairing: Light seafood & vegetable based risottos, salads & sauces; fried fish & Fish & Chips; mushroom risotto; Hummus
  

New Zealand’s newest and most exciting wine growing region, with the first commercial vintage being in 2004. Like Burgundy, the soils are limestone based. These soils lend an incredible ethereal nature to the wines, which are highlighted by perfume and minerality. Slightly cooler than Central Otago, the Waitaki Valley should not be cropped as heavily, and therefore Valli’s Waitaki Vineyard is close planted at 5000 vines per hectare with early ripening clones from Dijon and Pommard.

Grant Taylor’s name is synonymous with Otago Pinot Noir. As owner and winemaker, Grant has been crafting wines there since 1993 when the region was in its infancy with only 20 ha planted, (today there are over 1700). Grant’s accomplishments are well known in the wine world, he is possibly New Zealand’s most awarded Pinot Noir producer, credited with winning the Best Pinot Noir Trophy at a major International Wine Competition in London an unprecedented four times – a feat achieved by no other winemaker in the world. Born in Oregon, Jen Parr is a winemaker and wine judge who joined the Valli team in 2015, having had extensive international experience of over 30 vintages worldwide and 17 vintages in New Zealand.

Established in 1998, the aim of Valli is to produce single vineyard wines with an emphasis on expressing the site with clarity and purity. Based around the close-planted estate vineyard in Gibbston, Valli also produces Single-Vineyard Pinot Noirs from Bannockburn, Bendigo and the Waitaki Valley, a dry Pinot Gris from Gibbston, and a Riesling from Waitaki. With holistic attention to detail in both the vineyard and winery, these wines both reflect and translate the sites they evolve from.

All four Pinot Noirs and Old vine Riesling are multi award winners every vintage and also highly sought after by our customers with Valli wine demand always exceeding our supply.

"Unique and supremely high quality expressions of Otago regionality. The path to understanding and recognising regionality and terroir has not been expressed with great success in New Zealand, but Grant Taylor’s wines must be considered among the best at doing so." Raymond Chan on Valli, his 2016 Winery of the Year.

"Jen Parr couldn’t be more deserving of this award – especially as she is the only person to have been nominated as a finalist two years in a row. Her experience and attention to detail serve her well when creating wines of great quality and sense of place that are bound to delight any discerning wine lover." Judy Sarris, editor of Gourmet Traveller WINE, on Jen Parr's Winemaker of the Year 2020 win.

• 5 Stars & 95/100 Points - Candice Chow, Candice Wine Chat (2022 vintage)
• 19/20 Points - Raymond Chan Wine Reviews (2022 vintage)
• 92/100 Points - James Suckling (2022 vintage)
• 94/100 Points - New Zealand Wine Rater (2021 vintage)
• 95/100 Points - Cameron Douglas MS (2020 vintage)
  
• 92/100 Points - Bob Campbell MW (2020 vintage)
  
• 4.5 Stars - Michael Cooper (2020 vintage)