Lillooet is one of British Columbia’s oldest towns, yet it is one of the newer wine regions, with its first winery opening in 2011. After emigrating from Holland in 2005, Rolf de Bruin and Heleen Pannekoek settled in Lillooet and established Lillooet’s first commercial vineyard in 2009 and soon after Fort Berens Estate Winery was launched.
From these estate vineyards on the Fraser River Bench comes their stony, herbal and tart Pinot Gris, one of the first of the 2014 vintage to be released. The crisp palate is tempered with a small cushion of pear and Asian pear, and sharpened with a line of white grapefruit and lime pith. The acidity gobbles up the remaining residual sugar, and this medium-bodied Gris finishes with an appealing pear skin and thistle bitterness.
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