Poppy Pinot Grigio bottle image
Poppy Pinot Grigio bottle image

Poppy Pinot Grigio 2016

Tasting Notes

‘Poppy’ is a delicate little thing. It has gentle characters of pear and citrus, which are apparent on the palate too. Serve quite chilled as a lovely glass of wine on a warm day, or try it with some sushi or some soft creamy white cow cheeses.

We had a very dry spring leading up to vintage 2016 and it was windy, too. We expect windy conditions in Willunga, but this was pretty intense. October and December were both pretty warm, whereas November was mild. Very healthy crops were recorded across all varieties in McLaren Vale. We had a huge downpour at the end of January a few days before the whites were due to be picked; this kind of weather event tends to give Joch a sense of tightening around the left chest area, neck and sometimes down the arm. However this 50mm downpour succeeded in refreshing the vines, giving us a few more days before picking and bringing the lawns back from the brink. February was mild with cool nights and March provided pretty good picking conditions, give or take a few warm days.

We got both kinds (of music) here – country and western. Ah, the Blues Brothers, what a movie. I wanted to use that quote although it doesn’t really work for the point I am trying to make. My point being is that there are two very distinct styles of wine that you can make from this variety – Pinot Gris (the best examples are from Alsace and match wonderfully with the food there) and Pinot Grigio, which is what we make, which is lighter and fresher than the Gris style. Grigio is made mainly in the north eastern mountainous area of Fruili. We pick our Grigio at night when it is cooler to help retain the delicate characters and acidity of the wine. Cold fermentation in stainless steel is the order of day for our Poppy and no time in oak barrels. Straight to bottle once settled and clear. Simple stuff hey?

Technical Details

Picking Date: 9th February 2016

Alc/Vol: 13.0%

Bottling Date: 2nd May 2016