Configuration: (6 x 750mL)

Winery: Sato

Appellation: Pisa Terrace, Mount Pisa, Central Otago, South Island

Philosophy/Practices: Organic, biodynamic

Grape Variety: 100% pinot gris

ABV: 13.3%

Classic notes of savoury red fruit, red currant, purple and red florals, black rock mineral. If you were blindfolded, you’d think it’s pinot noir! Fine, velvety tannins. Gorgeous… absolutely one-of-a-kind!

Why we love it: Yoshiaki & Kyoko Sato craft this stunning amber (skin-contact/orange) Pinot Gris in the famed Central Otago appellation of New Zealand.

What we tend to forget up here in Canada is that Central Otago, at the bottom of the world, gets about 18 hours of sunshine in a day during their summers. This duration of sunlight really amplifies the flavours that the grapes here tend to create… it’s why NZ wines are so distinctive. So image the symphony of flavours that are coaxed out of the pristine, biodynamically-farmed Pinot Gris grapes that make this wine. Combine that with Yoshiaki and Kyoko’s meticulous attention to detail and pursuit of absolutely perfect balance, alongside a month of extended maceration, and you have pure magic.

This is one of the wines that really changed my perception of what is possible with this grape. It’s fashioned with a nod to Yoshiaki’s mentor in Alsace, Pierre Frick – but with a distinctly Kiwi thumbprint. And it really reminds us that Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir aren’t that far off from one another… like a light, chillable version that’s still just as serious as a red.