Fruit for the Estate Pinot Gris comes from two blocks on the estate: the Winery block and the Top Paddock block. The difference in altitude and aspect goes some way to explaining the intricate detail in this complex, layered wine.
Franco D’Anna is one of the finest producers of Pinot Gris in Australia. After years of making it straight and taking little creative licence, he grew bored and decided to experiment. With the 2024, he continues his pattern of operating outside the norm. Some 90% of the harvest was foot stomped as whole bunches and fermented naturally, finishing in old barriques. The remaining fruit was destemmed but not crushed and fermented on skins for seven days—essentially treated like a light red wine. D’Anna explains: “We make it this way to try to get a balance between aroma and tannin ripeness. The stalks from the first treatment add some fine tannins, and, obviously, you get a lot more tannin from the second treatment.” The result is a structured, complex, copper-hued Gris that continues this producer’s lengthy stint at the top of the Pinot Gris Premier League.