Just like a three piece suit or a tricycle, Mud House Pinot Gris also comes in threes.

Introducing the 2018 Mud House Marlborough Pinot Gris, the 2018 Mud House Sub Region Series Grovetown Pinot Gris, and the 2018 Mud House Single Vineyard Home Block Vineyard Waipara Valley Pinot Gris, together these wines carry apple spice greatness, yet each hold their own story.

For Mud House winemaker Cleighten Cornelius, making Pinot Gris is always rewarding because it’s a grape variety with the ability to have a story of place and time, told within each bottle.

“With more than one South Island location we source our Pinot Gris from, it’s paramount we reflect that actual vineyard, sub region, or region. Creating richness and texture through winemaking skills such as skin contact, lees stirring and use of barrels all helps to achieve this goal,” he said.

The harvest of 2018 in Marlborough will be remembered as an early one, preceded by a spectacular growing season thanks to warm and settled weather which set the vines up well for flowering and fruit set; the ideal gift for great fruit.

The 2018 Mud House Marlborough Pinot Gris has a nose of spicy apple, pear and orange blossom, and a juicy and lively palate. This provides a complex and unctuous finish that creates a superb story of what this region’s Pinot Gris is really about.

2018 Mud House Marlborough Pinot Gris

Bringing the lens in a little closer, the 2018 Mud House Sub Region Series Grovetown Pinot Gris is juicy, textured, and moreish, with its pear and scented florals. Grovetown lies just north east of Blenheim and features fertile and finer soils. Complimented with slightly warmer temperatures during harvest, this Pinot Gris develops depth and texture, while retaining bright fruit aromatics.

2018 Mud House Sub Region Series Grovetown Pinot Gris

About three hundred kilometres southbound, hugging the eastern coastline, lies the Waipara Valley in North Canterbury, home of The Home Block Vineyard. These vines were planted nearly 25 years ago, and serve as the home of the 2018 Mud House Single Vineyard Home Block Waipara Valley Pinot Gris.

2018 Mud House Single Vineyard Home Block Waipara Valley Pinot Gris.

This vineyard ripens slightly later than those in Marlborough, and its silty loams over the Glasnevin alluvial gravels means a free draining environment for these Pinot Gris vines.

Just like its northern counterpart, a mild spring was followed by good fruit set during summer thanks to plenty of sunshine and warm temperatures. A final burst of perfectly tied Nor’West winds after some Autumn rain was the recipe for evenly-ripened fruit with characters quintessential to its region, and a Pinot Gris with great flavour and complexity.

Boasting characters of pear, quince, subtle sweet spice and mineral aromas, this Pinot Gris has juicy acidity with a lingering finish.

“These are key varietal attributes, and the way they vary between places is always great to see and enjoyable to
work with. It’s great to release all three of these wines at once, to highlight the differences between the ranges.”

To find out more about Mud House visit http://www.mudhouse.co.nz/