Ash Ridge is a small, organically farmed family estate in the Bridge Pa Triangle of Hawke's Bay, on New Zealand's North Island. Owners Leith and Tracy Ashworth took over the property in late 2021, with Leith managing both vineyard and winery. The Bridge Pa's warm inland setting and free-draining gravel-over-clay soils suit ripe, textural white styles, and this Pinot Gris is built from carefully chosen fruit parcels across three vineyards to add complexity and balance. Hawke's Bay's 2024 vintage followed the difficult, cyclone-affected 2023 and was regarded as a smaller but cleaner, good-quality season; confirm precise 2024 seasonal detail against the producer's notes before publication.

In an Alsace-inspired, textural style, the fruit was pressed and fermented to retain the variety's crunchy pear and stone-fruit character, with a portion handled in oak to contribute the creamy note the wine is known for. It was aged for around four months on lees to build a luscious, soft texture and rounded mouthfeel before bottling. The result is perfumed with poached nashi pear and orange blossom, and generous on the palate with crunchy pear and peach fruit lifted by subtle creamy, spicy nuances.