8-10% of the 2009 Yealands Estate Pinot Gris was barrel fermented in second year oak. With pear and peach blossom aromas, this is a fuller, richer style with equally high acid. There’s more viscosity and body in the mouth but it’s a little lean on mid-palate flavor, finishing medium-long. It’s for drinking now. Peter Yealands doesn’t do things by halves. When the local landowner set his sights on producing wines he committed 1000 hectares of prime Awatere Valley sea view property to vine. His timing, well, it couldn’t have been worse. But the good news is that with the vines coming into production now, he seems to have chosen a pretty good spot for producing Sauvignons with a bit of character and edge, and at a very good price point. To a lesser extent he’s got a real fruit salad of other vines planted for the purposes of experimentation, which is to be commended. Some of these are already making pretty good wines; one such grape is Gruner Veltliner. Though not reviewed here, I sampled a very promising tank sample that tastes textbook varietally correct. Winemaker Tamra Washington deserves a pat on the back for her skill at crafting good wines from such young vines on scales large and small.Importer: Winebow; www.winebow.com