2024 Shy Susan Pinot Gris

**New Shy Susan Wines and new vintages released with the next Shy Susan Wine Club annually in September (ONE 6 pack per year)!

“Shy Susan (Tetratheca gunnii) is a critically endangered Australian wildflower. Her survival depends completely on a little native bee, who alone is capable of pollination. Their fate is forever entwined”.

 After working with Tasmanian fruit for nearly two decades Glenn James with his wife, Jo Marsh began crafting wines under their newly created Shy Susan label in 2015. The couple lived in Porepunkah in the Alpine Valleys region and Glenn commuted to Tasmania weekly for his role as Chief Winemaker at Winemaking Tasmania. When Jo fell pregnant in late 2019 Glenn made the decision to leave his role and work fulltime with Jo in the Alpine Valleys. Having many years to experience the quality of fruit the Alpine Valleys had to offer they decided to continue the Shy Susan brand with local fruit. Select small parcels of fruit are crafted to reflect variety, vineyard and the stylistic approach forged from Glenn’s skill and experience.

A tiny parcel of fruit sourced from the Mulcahy Vineyard, located in Porepunkah at the base of Mount Buffalo, there was just enough wine to fill a hogshead barrel. Year after year the fruit has shown intense fruit flavours and lovely concentration.  This release showcases these qualities delivering a textured and truly complex single vineyard expression of Pinot Gris.

Production Notes

Hand-picked, the fruit was whole bunch pressed to tank, with pressings included for structure and flavour. After racking off juice solids the juice was inoculated with selected yeast to complete fermentation.  Once complete a period maturation on the yeast lees in old oak allowed the wine to further develop texture. 

Tasting Note

Dense aromas of poached pear, sweet orange citrus, almond kernels, ginger and spice.  A supple and textured palate, with layers of flavour - baked pastry, poached pears and clotted cream.  Fresh and balanced with ample acid to drive home the generous and creamy palate.  Mouth filling and packed with flavour, a true Gris style, making it wonderful with food.

Optimal Drink Window – now until 2034

Technical details

Reviews

"This isn’t your average pinot gris. It has a gravity. It tastes of apple, grapefruit, citrus and woodsmoke, with twiggy, wheaty herb characters rising as the wine breathes. There’s almost a peppery aspect to this, a spark. It’s very good. It’s textural and punchy and perfumed and a step or three beyond the average." 94 points. Campbell Mattinson 25 September 2025

"Single vineyard, fermented in used puncheons, nine months on lees. Works towards a richer, complex style of pinot gris that looks to an European concept of the grape where texture is matched to honeyed stone fruits and gingery spice. It's quite a mouthful of flavour. Ripe peach, nectarine, apricot and quince light up the aromas with honeysuckle aromatics. The palate is warm, creamy, concentrated in ripe fruits well spiced in ginger and mace and finishing in honeyed sweetness." Awarded 93 points, Halliday Wine Companion, Jeni Port - Published 20 August 2025