Fall Roundup – New Styles of Two Familiar Varieties
This post is part two of my fall wine roundup. Different than the last post, you will undoubtedly recognize the two grapes referenced in the post, but you may not have tasted wine like these. The grapes are Pinot Grigio and Pinot Noir. These two cousins make incredible wine but depending on where the grapes grow and how the wine is made changes everything.
And remember the comments will be short and to the point and end with a LOVE, LIKE, NMS (not my style), or GLove (Gary loves it)
Pinot Grigio/Gris – Bigger & Bolder
First, let’s clear one thing up. Pinot Grigio and Pinot Gris are the same grape. I imagine that when you hear PinotGrigio, you think of a pale, almost clear wine that is light bodied and citrusy. Probably from Italy and more often than not, a summer sip. But that is not the case with these two. Check it out.
2013 Bechtold Silberberg Pinot Gris Alsace, France
Because of this wine, I am forever an Alsatian Pinot Grigio fan. Coincidently, we drank an Alsatian Pinot Grigio when out to dinner for my birthday a few weeks back.
This style is big and bold. It is clean and full of flavor. I would even venture to say that this Pinot Grigio style will make a red wine only drinker question why they don’t drink white wine.
Alsatian Pinot Grigio tends to have heft in the mouthfeel and body. This wine is no exception one is medium plus-bodied. It is a straw yellow color. There is a tart start to this wine with notes of Asian pear, yellow apple pith, Bosc pear and a touch of honey. The pleasant lingering acidity makes this a great wine to pair with food. It sells for $24.00
LOVE
Movia Sivi Pinot Grigio 2013 Brda, Slovenia
I bought a bottle of this after going to a tasting of Slovenian Wine last February.
The color is honey gold. I assume age has had some effect on the color. This wine is big-bodied, yet maintains its bright, fresh acidity.
The nose is a bit salty and earthy; like an oyster bed or an ocean breeze. Move the glass downward, and I get a light lemon blossom aroma.
The palate is both earthy and full of ripe lemons and lemon zest. The finish is almost like eating a sweet tart candy. It is a low alcohol wine at just 12.5%. It sells for $25. LIKE
Fall Roundup: Pinot Noir as a Rosé
When one thinks about Pinot Noir, you most assuredly think of red wine. But as rosé continues to gain new fans, some winemakers are making rosé wines from this single varietal.
2017 Red Car Rosé of Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast and Mendocino Ridge, California
I first drank this wine when having brunch with friends at the El Dorado Kitchen. It was the 2016 vintage, and it was the perfect wine to share with friends while we all ate different brunch fare. I decided then that if I ever saw this wine locally, I would have to try it again. Fortunately for me, the 2017 vintage was offered at Edmund’s Oast Exchange, and I snapped up a bottle.
Red Car Rosé of Pinot Noir is a fantastic warm weather sip. It is a coral pink color. My first sip of this wine was an explosion of tartness. But as I always say, never judge wine by the first sip, as whatever was in your mouth before may have affected your taste buds.
It is light-bodied and easy to drink. The palate is full of strawberry and tangerine flavors with a hint of spring flowers. Gary wants to enjoy this wine with a salad with a mound of bleu cheese on it. The fruit flavors linger through the finish.
LIKE
Teutonic Rosé of Pinot Noir 2017, Laurel Vineyard, Chehalem Mountains
I had been eyeing this wine on the shelf at Edmund’s Oast Exchange for quite a while. It is not your typical pale pink wine. I would describe it as a transparent cranberry juice red, and that is one of the reasons it intrigued me. The other reason is that I had previously sampled the 2016 Pinot Noir “Bergspitze” Laurel Vineyard, Chehalem Mountains and I really enjoyed it. I was curious how these two wines might differ since they come from the same vineyard.
Maybe I drank this wine too cold, but I had trouble getting anything specific from the nose.
This wine is puckering tart with flavors of cranberry and red raspberry. Bright acidity cleanses your palate especially from the back corners of your mouth. Its rather timely but I think this would make a great wine to serve with any poultry dish at Thanksgiving or Christmas. This is a definite food wine.
LIKE and Gary Loved
That is all for now.
Cheers,
rick