Pinot Noir is king of Central Otago's vineyard area while Pinot Gris is queen, in terms of the number of hectares planted in both - and in the focus of winemakers. It's hard not to be focussed on Pinot Gris when it is such a runaway success with wine drinkers. 

This latest Gris from the deep south is an excellent expression of a warm area within a cool climate region; Bannockburn is home to the grapes in this wine, specifically Felton Terraces where the grapes are planted on north west slopes with an east-west row orientation on light alluvial soils, which lie on top of schist rock. 

18/20
2024 Mora Bannockburn Pinot Gris RRP $38

Creamy pear aromas are underpinned by crisp fresh apple tastes in this fleshy, full bodied and dry Gris from the world's southernmost wine region, Central Otago. This wine contains 2 grams of residual sugar, putting it firmly in the dry category and its vibrant fresh acidity is kept intact thanks to high diurnal range which means warm sunny days ripen the grapes and cool nights retain their freshness, which shines through in this new release. 

The statistics

Central Otago has 2,163 hectares of producing vineyard land, of which Pinot Noir occupies 1,765 and Pinot Gris 171 - ahead of Chardonnay with 105, Riesling with 54 and Sauvignon Blanc with 40.