Pinot Gris carried low crops in 2019, so there is more intensity and weight of flavour this year. The warm conditions contributed to this as well. To maintain the fresh but savoury house style we kept the canopies well-watered and lush, and changed our maceration approach in the winery.
The 100% skins ferment is a smaller proportion of the finished blend (30%), and we only kept this portion of the wine on skins for 48 hours. There was no shortage of colour in Gris (or Pinot Noir) this year, so needed to be watchful on this.
Conversely, we extended the 100% whole bunch ferments to 14 days as they were bright and robust. Because of this, we picked up the delicate and subtle flavours we really look for in Gris on Skins. As always, the wine went to old oak hogsheads for three months, unsulphured. Bottled 24th July 2019.
The wine seems to me more serious than previous instalments. The increased intensity and fruit weight is fortunate, because it is required to match the texture and funk. All in all, it’s like the 2018 was dialled up a few notches. So less ‘wet’ than the 2018, but pound-for-pound a better wine; there’s much more to chew on here. Lovely aromatics – musk, ripe strawberries, vanilla. - Tim Shand, Punt Road
Tim came to the Yarra Valley with vintages under his belt at Domaine Dujac in Burgundy and Château Margaux in Bordeaux, as well as stints in Chianti, Oregon and Chile. Since then he had a hand in some of the region’s headline-grabbing wines of recent times during his tenure at Giant Steps before taking the helm at Punt Road in 2014. Tim and the team are making most of the freedom to push boundaries while making the most of the excellent fruit the Yarra Valley gives rise to.