2025 Scorpo Pinot Gris

Sitting on a ridge of old volcanic red soils in Merricks North, most of the Scorpo Vineyard slopes gently to the north. The main block of Pinot Gris, however, sits on a cooler southwest-facing slope at the back of the property, capturing more than enough warmth and sunlight to ensure full ripeness, but also subject to the cool breezes from the Southern Ocean, providing cooler conditions for acid preservation.

A warmer-than-average season meant that the 2025 Scorpo Vineyard Pinot Gris fruit was hand-picked about two weeks earlier than average, with one half picked on 20th February and the other half on 26th February. While yields (4.6 tonnes/ha) were more encouraging than recent years, they were still 20% lower than average.

Each batch was gently pressed as bunches, with the unclarified juice fermented in old French oak 500-litre puncheons, where it remained for just over 6 months on gross lees before racking and bottling in November.

The consistency of the Scorpo Vineyard Pinot Gris is a testament to the suitability of the Scorpo vineyard site to this early ripening variety. Avoiding the warmer afternoon sun in a vintage like 2025 has ensured the delicate aromas and flavours are retained, whilst still allowing the richer, riper flavours to flourish. Whilst always showing a tightly coiled palate in the first weeks after bottling, this 2025 release will reveal an increasingly powerful expression of Pinot Gris over the next 6–12 months and beyond, with enticing exotic spice aromas and a complex array of honeydew melon, apple and hints of ripe citrus fruits. As the flavours unravel, so will the textural mouthfeel that makes this wine so appealing. – Paul Scorpo