"Intensely-flavoured Pinot Gris with ripe pear, quince, apple, ginger and spice flavours. An appealing wine with weight and richness. An initial hint of sweetness is balanced by fruity acidity to give a drying finish. Concentrated pinot gris in an off-dry style with canned peach, pear, pineapple and subtle citrus flavours. A strongly varietal wine with an almost syrupy texture" Bob Campbell, Master of Wine, Oct 2018

"Bright, even, light straw-yellow colour with a little depth and lighter on the edge. The nose has soft, but intense and penetrating aromas of fragrant white and yellow stonefruits along with lifted exotic florals, some pear fruit and suggestions of fresh fermentation esters. Dryish to taste and medium-bodied, the palate has a finely-textured heart and core of aromatic white and yellow stonefruits, with pear and exotic floral notes. The fruit is youthfully brisk in expression with crisp, underlying acidity, and the wine flows along a light-textured line, leading to a lingering, aromatic finish. This is a bright and aromatic dry Pinot Gris with fragrant stonefruit, floral and pear flavours on a crisp palate with fine textures. Match with Thai, Vietnamese and Japanese fare over the next 2+ years. Fruit from the Wairau and Awatere Valleys fermented to 13.0% alc. and 7.1 g/L RS" Raymond Chan, Aug 2018

"Aromas of pear, feijoa and passionfruit, the palate is succulent, rounded with attractive texture. Delightfully drinkable with a long finish. Named after a Martinborough "gentleman of the road", I doubt they drink it in Moscow but it's divine with blinis and smoked salmon" New World Wine Awards 2018

Russian Jack, whom this wine is named after, was a much loved 'gentleman of the road', becoming a legendary 'swagger' in the 1900s in the Wellington area. During fruit harvest this mysterious man was welcomed onto the farms where he picked fruit into his old age. A statue dedicated to his memory now stands in the town of Masterton.