March Wine Focus: Seeking memorable Pinot Gris/Grigio

[Robin Garr]

Pinot Gris, Pinot Grigio. Ho, hum! This little-honored member of the Pinot family doesn't get a lot of respect, and frankly, there's a good reason for that: Pinot G has become the current generic "glass of white wine," prompting the industrial segment of the wine economy to plant vast acreage of overcropped, dull and boring wine.

But it doesn't have to be like that! Pinot G draws its name from the French or Italian words for "gray," an odd way of saying that this grape's skins contain an unusual amount of pigment for a white variety. Accordingly, handled with care in the vineyard and the winery, it can make a white wine of unusual character, complexity and depth.

Sadly, this doesn't happen as often as it should. But this month, we're looking for the exceptions that violate the rule. To help us narrow the focus, we suggest that you begin by looking for Pinot G in regions known for doing it well. Curiously, a lot of those regions have names that begin with a vowel, so, tongue-in-cheek, we invite you to taste and tell us about Pinot G/G from the Vowel regions: Alto Adige, Alsace, Oregon, Ontario, Okanagan and (cheating just a little) Colli Orientali and Environs.

Don't worry, exceptions are permissible. Please post notes from anywhere if the PG is good. The key this month is quality. If you tasted a PG and found it bland and uninspiring, please spare us. Let's let this month's roster become a shopping list of wines that we can recommend.

[Jenise]

I like it! Would add New Zealand to the A list of places to look for serious PG from, even though it doesn't start with a vowel.

[David M. Bueker]

Hmm...last night I opened a PG that was in fact bland and uninspiring. Vapid was about the right descriptor. Luckily it was not from a vowel location.

[Robin Garr]

I like it! Would add New Zealand to the A list of places to look for serious PG from, even though it doesn't start with a vowel.

Aotearoa!
It's actually a vowel twofer! The Land of the Long White Cloud!

I posted on this non-vowel Pinot Gris, the 2012 Siefried Pinot Gris from New Zealand a few months ago but it is worth re-posting. This is an excellent Pinot Gris with lots of peach flavors balanced by spritzy acidity and a semi-viscous body. May not be an ager but I would want to enjoy it now and over the next few years for its freshness. Tasted twice and 12% abv and screw cap. I will need to buy more of this one. I'll look for an Alsatian or Alto Adige example over the next few weeks!

[Robin Garr]

non-vowel Pinot Gris ... from New Zealand

You're good to go, Jim. Remember that the Maori name for New Zealand is Aotearoa!

Enjoyed the newly released 2012 vintage from Bercher at the local wine bar downtown but no notes. The 2010 made quite an impression upon me last year, see here>

TN: 2010 Weingut Bercher Jechtinger Eichert Grauburgunder Kabinett Trocken, Baden Germany.

Light yellow, no pink tones here. Lots of action on the nose with pear, herbs, apple on day 2. Can I also mention the dreaded word "mineral"?.
Dryish entry on the palate, fresh, good grip and structure. Apple, very nice citrusy kick, "immediately drinkable" from across the table. Held up well overnight with some more mineral tones. Went well with veal scallopini and asparagus.

Tonite, I am opening up Osco so stay tuned .

Another two-fer: Adelsheim from Oregon. Always a treat.

[Jenise]

Another two-fer: Adelsheim from Oregon. Always a treat.

Absolutely correct. Also, in a slightly different, more intense style, Cristom is a don't-miss.

So this week I have opened 2 PGs, both from the 2010 vintage so guess taking a chance? The Osco was a complete bust ..poor winemaking from a no-name producer, bought in by a new winestore for a restaurant. Had no virtue at all, however the Zorzettig was top drawer.

TN: 2010 Zorzettig Piniot Grigio Colli Orientale del Fruili.

Good natural cork, $24 Cdn, 13% alc, served well chilled in this case.

The color is a light lemon, no green or pink. Very aromatic nose here with citrus, floral tones. Medium intensity even on day 2. "lime...nice balanced acidity...big plus" from across the table.
Initial entry thought is dryish, white peach, grapefruit, crisp, refreshing. Did not fall apart overnight, in fact some chalky tones as we polished off the bottle. Who says Pinot Grigio has no real style?

Who says Pinot Grigio has no real style?

Nice one, Bob. About time I went shopping but it will be for an Alsatian. The supermarket Italians will be like your first one.

IMO, as with most grape types, it's the place which adds the style, with the grower's help.

[David M. Bueker]

The 2008 Marc Tempé Pinot Gris Zellenberg is an interesting by the glass pour. It is showing a burnished edge to the peach flavors. It has a little RS, but not enough to seem sweet when countered by the acidity. Not bad at all.

CedarCreek from the Okanagan Valley are top drawer white wine producers and their Pinot Gris continues to hit the high spot for me.

TN: 2012 CedarCreek Estate Winery Pinot Gris, Okanagan Valley VQA.

Enjoyed a glass at the local downtown wine bar whilst in-house PO was visiting the olive oil shop across the street!

Green apple on the nose, quite aromatic with added citrus tones, maybe grapefruit? Palate is a lighter style than previous vintages but still sings! Nice acidity here with peach, melon and a hint of apricot. Off-dry, good finish, some mineral notes here too. Guess around $22 on the shelf.

[Robin Garr]

I'll post TNs later, but let me say right now: Au Bon Climat '13 Pinot Gris/Blanc is a really good wine and good value. It's 66 percent Pinot Gris, so I think it makes the grade for this month's Focus.

In fact, that's a good topic for a sub-discussion: Is Pinot Gris/Grigio often improved when it becomes part of a blend? Or do the best PGs result when the grape stands alone but enjoys first-rate terroir, viticulture and vinification?

In fact, that's a good topic for a sub-discussion: Is Pinot Gris/Grigio often improved when it becomes part of a blend? Or do the best PGs result when the grape stands alone but enjoys first-rate terroir, viticulture and vinification?

FWIW, it's one of the grapes allowed in the production of Champagne, but I doubt if much is used.

The 2010 version of the appellation regulations lists seven varieties as allowed, Arbane, Chardonnay, Petit Meslier, Pinot blanc, Pinot gris, Pinot Meunier, and Pinot noir.

from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Champagne.

With the exception of some opulent Alsatian offerings which are difficult to pair with food and fond memories some Grauburgunder 1998 from Keller bought at the estate, I have not been much of a fan of PGs which I have owned. Maybe I've been unlucky with those from Italy which have always seemed bland to me, most Alsatians are a bit heavy and lacking in liveliness as well as a trifle sweet and I never bought one of the New Zealanders which seemed promising at tastings. This one was less sweet than many and coped adequately with cod but does not change my general opinion. The Lorentz website is to be congratulated for giving a sweetness/dryness indication (almost demi-sec for the 2013) but why, oh why , did they not reproduce it on the back label?

2012 Gustave Lorentz Pinot Gris Evidence - France, Alsace, Alsace AOC (3/11/2015)
My initial impression on nose and palate entry was good with fresh white fruit, mineral touches, a slight flattering sweetness, smooth acidity, some underlying roundness and dark slightly bitter finish (alcohol 13.5%). However, as the bottles progressed I felt the wine's profile increasingly dominated by that dark finish which developed hints of glue and started to pall. Quite good.

Posted from CellarTracker

PS: This wine came from organically certified grapes.

I had a very enjoyable pinot gris with dinner of breaded scallops, green beans, and zucchini relish tonight. I picked it up on my last visit to the Willamette Valley from Seven of Hearts. It's a 2013 Oregon bottling with fruit from 2 vineyards, $18 at the winery, and delightful in the bone dry side of pinot gris. To me it had a pear and floral nose, a full mouthfeel (tasted almost unctuous), quite dry, and with acidity which lifted the finish. It went very well with the food, I liked it quite a bit. It reminded me of a very good dry Alsatian pinot gris from a warmer year. While I was at the winery the winemaker, Byron Dooley, was receiving a shipment of grand cru Alsatian wines for his personal cellar, and I think he did a great job of taking the Willamette Valley grapes and making a wine in that style but that still spoke of Oregon. I will buy more next time I'm in Carlton. It is one of the better Oregon pinot gris' I've had.

WTN: Kirkland Signature 2011 Pinot Grigio Since I suggested the topic, I feel obligated to contribute. This wine was served at a a wedding I attended in DC over the weekend, and I actually like it. From what I found on the interweb, it's apparently a Costco product. Barely a touch of RS that offset the adequate acidity. A bit of citrus and a medium finish. It was much more enjoyable than the chardonnay that was served. That being said, I do have two more PGs in my que, a local and an Alsatian.

TN: 2013 Tiefenbrunner Pinot Grigio Alto Adige.

SC, $22 Cdn, 13% alc, my second PG from this area. Lemon, white flowers on the nose with a mineral element. Pretty dry entry but a tad bitter on the finish. Better with food though...very good acidity and an obvious well-made wine. White stone fruit, crisp, held up well overnight.
Cannot be more specific as busy right now organising kids outings to view the migrating snow geese.

Hey Bob, you beat me to it with your posting. I just bought that wine a few days ago for the focus and have not tried it yet. I paid $13.50 US and don't know how that compares with Canadian $ but seems like a good deal. From your note I look forward to trying it.

2013 Long Cliff Pinot Gris - This is from a small winery in the Niagara (NY) Escarpment AVA. The owner, Don DeMaison, has been a friend for over 30 years and sells me some of his grapes for my wine making. Light gold color, modest nose of pear, with a hint of anise. Nice cleansing full finish, medium length, bone dry with good acidity and some minerality. I opened this for a belated corned beef & cabbage dinner I hosted for about 15 people. It was well liked and I was lucky to have gotten a glass.

2013 Copain Pinot Gris

https://www.copainwines.com/product/201 ... axRows=10&

Not cheating too much here, as this wine comes from the Anderson Valley (Klimt Vineyard). This had a lovely, savory texture. Not rich or heavy per se but still mouthfilling. Lovely apple and saline notes on the palate. A quite attractive version!

2013 NALS MARGREID PUNGGL PINOT GRIGIO, SUDTIROL, ALTO ADIGE, ITALY. Imported by The Country Vintner, Ashland, VA. The retailer hailed this as one of Italy's best Pinot Grigio wines. I couldn't say. It's not a variety that I value much. I have been impressed by Carr Pinot Gris from Santa Barbara, CA, one PG in a tasting at an Officers' Club in Germany (I didn't get the name of the producer) and some from Hugel in Alsace.

This was labeled as 14% abv. Medium gold color with transparency. I get some pear and quince on the nose and palate with sharp acidity and tartness and a rather long finish. Still not very impressed.

(Thanks to Jim Grow and Tim York, I corrected this to read Hugel in Alsace rather than Huet.)

Last night's Norman PG leads me to revive this thread. I'll try this one again, which is produced just 25km down the road westwards, but it did not work very well with a spring dish of asparagus, slices of duck stuffed with local foie gras, York ham and hard boiled eggs. I must have been thinking of the Gustave Lorentz PG, noted above, which would have been a good pairing, when making my choice .

2012 Les Arpents du Soleil Mauve - France, Normandy (5/8/2015)
Alsatian Pinot Gris and asparagus are often a good match, but I failed to take account here of the difference of terroir, particularly the climate component. I doubt if I would be able to identify this Norman PG as coming from that grape. A little bit of burnished meat on the nose and underlying roundness on the palate was not enough for that. There was good intensity of mainly green fruit, not a lot of spice and minerals, crisp acidity and rather saline backbone, the last two of which would have made it a decent pairing with seafood. Just quite good with this pairing.
Posted from CellarTracker