“Marriages are made in heaven and consummated on earth,” John Lyly (1554-1606), Mother Bombie (1590), act IV. sc i.
Oregon Pinot Gris is one of my favorite wines, with its decidedly delicious fleshiness, flexibility with many foods and for many occasions. In my mind, that depth and alluring fruitiness handily beats its Northern Italian cousin, Pinot Grigio, which many people find to be too tartly acidic and unforgivingly puckery. Pinot Gris is also nicely made in Alsace, France, and in some California wineries such as Bonny Doon and Cline.
Researchers at the University of California at Davis identified Pinot Gris, or Gray Pinot, as having the same basic genetic profile as Pinot Noir but, because of a genetic mutation centuries ago, the grapes appear gray. They tend to be finicky and need a cool climate like their sibling Pinot Noir, with both growing conditions and handling being critical. My friend Steve Girard, owner of Benton Lane winery, who sold his Napa Valley Girard Winery in order to help head up a new Gold Rush to Oregon, has had fabulous success with his Pinot Gris releases and has won two Top 100 Wines of the World awards. According to Steve, Benton Lane has found it “actually harder to make a really interesting Pinot Gris than it is Pinot Noir (Benton Lane’s other stablemate). We actually designed the wine to accompany the bounty of Oregon seafood.” Steve is proud of pairing it with the likes of sushi, shellfish and lighter pasta dishes.
Even though many folks love pairing Oregon Pinot Noir with salmon, a growing number are taking the side of Pinot Gris as the perfect match. (Speaking of matches, one of the Oregon pioneers of Pinot Gris, David Lett, when queried about what his wine was best paired with, quipped “sex” in his inimitable fashion.
I hopped over to Sendik’s in Mequon at the height of the pre-Thanksgiving madness and imposed upon Kevin Grace to pull a few nice candidates for a tasting. In my book, Kevin runs an operation as thorough and hands-on as Consumer Beverage Outlet in Hales Corners, Discount Wine, Downer Wines and Waterford Wines on Brady Street.
Here are my scores and tasting notes, using my typical “A”-“F” scale:
1. Wallace Brook 2008, Willamette, Ore., $8.99: Slightly off-white with medium body. Spicy nose with hints of wood and butterscotch along with intriguing depth. Medium-rich fruit with a nicely spicy tongue-dance followed by a clean finish. B
2. King Estates 2008, Ore., $16.99: Light straw color with medium body. Mildly fruity nose with some complexity. Lightly elegant in the mouth with a subdued and clean finish. B (but a tad pricey for the grade)
3. Four Graces 2008, Dundee Hills, Ore., $16.99: Barely off-white color with medium body. The nose was delightfully deep and pregnant with complexity and flowers. Rich and full in the mouth with a lightly acidic balance tempered by notes of butterscotch, which blossomed with time. Leagues better for the price than No. 2. A+
4. Elk Cove Vineyards, Willamette Valley, Ore., $16.99: Vanilla hue with heavy body and deeply complex, spicy nose touched with hints of vanilla and Granny Smith apples. Fruity, deep middle with tons of deep complexity. Some cinnamon, nutmeg and notes of cumin on finish. A-
5. Erath 2008, Ore., $13.99: This wine, from the Chateau St. Michelle owners, had a light, lemony hue with heavy body and a lightly spicy nose. In the mouth, it was pleasant and balanced, and it slid gracefully into a balanced finish. A
6. Chehalem 2008, S Vineyard, Willamette Valley, Ore., $14.99: Clear, off-white color with medium body and a nicely perfumed nose laced with hints of violet. Elegant fruit with nice depth and a kiss of acid on the finish. A-
7. Cline 2008, Sonoma, Calif. (Can’t all be Oregon, right?), $9.99 at Consumer Beverage Outlet in Hales Corners. Note: Cline produces a broad array of nice, fairly-priced options such as Zinfandel, Mourvedre, etc. This Pinot Gris was pale yellow with heavy body, along with a medium-complex nose with touches of butterscotch, vanilla and wood. It boasted a generous middle and nice, smooth finish. A solid B+.
Today’s clear winner was the Four Graces from Oregon.
The Price/Value champ award went to California’s Cline.
