Poppy Pinot Grigio bottle image
Poppy Pinot Grigio bottle image

Poppy Pinot Grigio 2014

Tasting Notes

The Grigio has a classic varietal pear and citrus nose with a character that Joch calls ‘bath salts’ which indicates a floral perfume. The palate reflects the nose and the wine finishes with a zing. Perfect with some sushi or alone as an aperitif or with mild soft cow’s milk cheeses.

Vintage 2014 was a season of extremes for us all in McLaren Vale. We had great winter rains which gave us a full soil profile in time for a dry and windy spring. They don’t call it windy Willunga for nothing – I think if we’d had a set of wind chimes on the property, we would have heard them all day and night from September to January. We had a series of very hot days in January, followed by about 45mm of rain over a 48 period in early February which slowed ripening of our red grapes right down. We had picked all of our white grapes prior to the rain ‘event’ and so we had a decent break between whites and reds, like the good old days. There was no splitting of any of the grapes left on the vine after the rain, mercifully, either. Joch’s analysis of 2014 is that it was a gentleman’s vintage – everything came in slowly and in order, not like the mad rush of 2013. Every vintage is different; truism of our time, and of our industry.

We aim for the Italian rendition of this variety when it comes to making ‘Poppy’. We want light and fresh rather than weighty and unctuous. As such, we pick early and at night and ferment the grapes in stainless steel tanks, making sure we keep the grapes cool to help retain flavour and acidity. ‘Poppy’ does not spend any time in oak at all.

Technical Details

Picking Date: 10th February 2014

Alc/Vol: 13.0%

Bottling Date: 12th May 2014