| 2019 Pinot Gris | 13.5% alcohol | $22.90 | 15.5 |
| 2019 Pinot Blanc | 13.5% alcohol | $25.90 | 16.0 |
| 2019 Gewurztraminer | 13.5% alcohol | $22.90 | 15.5 |
Nelson’s Blackenbrook Vineyard is a quintessential New Zealand producer: a small, family-owned winery, owned by nice people quietly getting on with making perfectly nice wines. Ursula and Daniel Schwarzenbach farm 20ha of vineyards in the Moutere clays, where they produce a tidy suite of wines ranging from the expected: sauvignon blanc, pinot noir, pinot gris, gewurztraminer and chardonnay, to the slightly less expected: pinot blanc and montepulciano. Wines are unfined and vegan-friendly. The recent release of their aromatic whites yielded a selection of competent, fruit-focused, approachable wines, showcasing 2019’s warm, sunny harvest.
The 2019 Pinot Gris has a soft baked apple, rich ripe pear and softly spiced gingerbread, this is fruity but not overt on the nose. The palate is fruitier, medium-bodied and off-dry with a fairly delicate texture and touch of phenolics. Lacks a little acidity and freshness on the finish. There are just 11ha of pinot blanc grown in New Zealand and not much of that is bottled as a single variety. The 2019 Pinot Blanc has a spicy nose akin to pinot gris but with more stonefruit than treefruit. A juicy palate, quite broad and ripe, with a clean, dry, slightly savoury finish.
The 2019 Gewurztraminer has a richly aromatic with rose petals, Turkish Delight and quince. A little hoppy too. The off-dry palate is more delicate than nose would lead you to expect, pear-drop and Turkish Delight with light phenolics on the finish.
ps. the eagled eyed will spot the image is not of the Blackenbrook vineyards but instead taken from the plane as it landed at Nelson airport.