Sixty-Second Swirl by Brent Lello, Yass Valley Times Wine Columnist
Long Rail Gully Pinot Gris 2022
“Gris” is to grey as “noir” is to black, at least as far as the French-to-English translation of colour is concerned. While Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris are related way back down the grape variety conga line, they produce wines that are distinctly different. While Pinot Gris is considered a white wine grape variety, the colour of the grapes can range from grey, to pink, to brown and anywhere in between.
No wonder then that the colour of a finished Pinot Gris can be as varied as its aromas and flavours. One thing is for sure though, Pinot Gris is one of the most popular wines doing the rounds, most likely due to its gluggable drinkability, fantastic food friendliness, and value – generally easy on the wine wallet. This week’s “swirl” is a fantastic example of these traits – the Long Rail Gully Pinot Gris 2022.
This Pinot Gris is a pale, golden straw colour in the glass, with bright flashes from within. A swirl invites aromas of freshly cut Beurre Bosc pear and ripe yellow-fleshed peach. The palate is perfectly poised with ripe pear and stone fruit flavours, a lovely line of food fondling acidity, yet with a slight and subtle back-palate creaminess too. The finish is long and lingering. This is a cracking example of cool climate Pinot Gris done well…real well.
We sourced our bottle from the local wine selection of our local – the Murrumbateman Country Inn – and thoroughly enjoyed with both the grilled snapper with lemon butter sauce and the chicken Kiev. This would go equally well with any seafood dish, chicken pasta dish or a bucket of fresh prawns.
You can buy online as part of a six-pack for $27
