When you're looking to rejuvenate your wine-list sometimes the request for certain bottles and styles means you end up trying quite random wines, as is the case in this instance.
The Greystone Waipara Pinot Gris 2007 came with a number of accolades and a recommendation from a colleague.
Straw gold with a delicate nose of apricot, honey and minerals. Tinned apricot and pear on the palate with layers of spice and bright citrus acidity keeping the wine balanced. There is a little viscosity but this wine is not as luscious in style as the Johanneshof Trocken Pinot Gris and plays more with a lovely baking spice character. Plus it's not too hot. Yay! Fleshy finesse.
The Sleeping Giant Hill Block Chardonnay 2006 must have arrived for tasting due to the lack of robust Chardonnay on our list. I have to confess a penchant for the more austere style and as a consequence the 'blockbuster' malolactic and oak numbers are a bit absent (much to the dismay of many patrons, and best give the patrons at least a little of what they want).
Bright gold. The nose hits with smoke and vanilla, not so much a fruit driven wine but there are hints of banana, stonefruit and hibiscus. The palate displays layers of pineapple with a sweet, toasty character bearing out the nose. This is a full on Hawke's Bay style, big with lee-sy weight, grippy and long. At this point in its life, however, a little disjointed.
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