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Wine Tasting Adventure

2023 Kim Crawford, Pinot Gris - Liberty

£16.49 GBP
£16.49 GBP

Kim Crawford Wines was established in late 1996 when Kim and Erica Crawford created two wines from fruit grown in Marlborough. The Crawfords sold the company to Constellation in 2005 and handed the reins to their experienced winemaking team, now led by Chief Winemaker Dave Edmonds. The current winemakers and viticulturists continue the classic Crawford philosophy and style. Control over grape supply has always been essential, and Constellation maintains good contracts with growers in the region, ensuring consistency of quality and style. From the 2022 vintage, the winery has moved to using lightweight bottles as one of several sustainability initiatives.

Kim Crawford is renowned for their Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, blended from over 200 separate parcels sourced from their extensive vineyard holdings, as well as growers throughout the Wairau, Awatere, Blind River, Waihopai and Omaka Valleys. The age range of the vines (up to 20 years old) brings a mix of youthful exuberance, fruit, and depth of flavour to the wine.

In selected vintages, Kim Crawford releases the ‘Spitfire’ Sauvignon Blanc. It is named ‘Spitfire’ to commemorate the World War II fighter aircraft base in nearby Blenheim, where they source fruit for this wine. Often hailing from a single vineyard, the small parcels selected for the blend are intensely flavoured. The Pinot Gris is sourced and blended from sites across the North and South Islands and offers a crisp, lively, aromatic option with a little more body and ripeness. The Pinot Noir is a blend of Marlborough and Central Otago sites, giving the winemaking team a great range of flavour profiles to work with and deliver Kim Crawford’s signature red berry and spice notes.

The vines for the 2023 Pinot Gris are grown on moderately deep silt loam over river gravel in the Bridge Pa/Ngatarawa region as well as deep silt loam in the Ohiti region of Hawkes Bay. The vines are all VSP (vertical shoot positioning) and cane pruned.

The 2023 growing season was characterised by La Nina conditions. Warm flowering conditions and regular summer rainfall meant rigorous canopy and yield management was crucial to bring the vines and yields into balance, producing fruit of exceptional character.

The grapes were machine harvested and destemmed in the vineyard. Upon arrival at the winery, the grapes were gently pressed and separated into free run juice and pressings. The free run juice is floated to maintain aromatic integrity while the pressings were cold settled. The clarified juice was then cool fermented in stainless-steel tanks using a number of yeasts to capture the fruit profile and retain freshness.

This Pinot Gris is pale straw in colour. On the nose, wonderfully lifted orchard fruit aromas of ripe pear and quince jelly are supported by notes of rosewater. The palate is weighty and textural, with concentrated flavours of tropical fruits and spice on the finish.