“I’ve never had a wine that could be altered in so many ways!” said a bewildered friend after blind tasting three different versions of the Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio grape.

And it’s true … some might even call Pinot Gris/Grigio the multi-personality wine because of the way it takes on so many different expressions. This is due to terroir, of course. Yet what also adds expression is the way it can be manipulated by producers to create a specific style.

Pinot Grigio, in its most innocuous and mild form, is available on the by-the-glass list in virtually every restaurant in the world. One can only assume people like it because it doesn’t kick up too much of a fuss, goes with most white meat/fish dishes, has refreshing acidity, and in worst case scenarios has a few extra grams of residual sugar that most American white wine lovers seem to enjoy.

Pinot Gris/Grigio without Tears

Sommeliers have told me they have guests who demand a Pinot Grigio no matter what other fantastic wines are on the list, or worse, even if it does not pair well with their dish.

In this Pinot Gris/Grigio without tears article, I intend to save you the angst of trying to taste your way through and analyze all the different styles. So the other night, I asked my local wine shop to send over three PGs (Pinot Grigio/Gris) in plain paper bags so that a friend and I could taste them blind, and try to figure out several things:

1) If they were New or Old world
2) What country they were from and what year
3) Residual Sugar and winemaking techniques

Yes, of course I know that three styles are very small in a world flooded with Pinot Grigio, yet three it will be.

Cutting to the chase, please allow me to introduce the three wines:

Albert Boxler Pinot Gris Reserve 2008
Tiefenbrunner Pinot Grigio 2009
Maysara Oregon Pinot Gris 2009

Full disclosure here: my wine store also indicated to me that one wine would be from Alsace, one from Italy, and one from Oregon.

Now if you’ve been in the wine world long enough, you probably correctly guessed the Pinot Gris from Alsace would be easiest to pick out. First, it is off-dry, with at least 30 grams of residual sugar. On the nose, a signature is super ripe pear – imagine the most decadent vanilla-infused, slow-baked pear of your life, perhaps paired with vanilla ice cream, and you can imagine the nose and palate of this wine (add just a hint of spice like nutmeg and cinnamon). Acidity, despite the sugar, is quite refreshing so it could pair well with a dish like carmelized scallops.

The Alto-Adige Pinot Gris and the Oregon Pinot Gris were harder to tell apart.

Oregon

Let’s talk Oregon first … it is one of Oregon’s most successful varietals so competition between producers is fierce. This Maysara 2009 is very pale in the glass, with dry spiced pear on the nose, and on the palate the wine is very dry, with medium acidity, low tannin (lees, oak?) medium body, and moderate alcohol. You will find some minerality here, which could indeed lead you to the old world.

The style of this wine is very dry, delicious, yet structured and clean. It could very easily be confused with an old world wine, yet that last word “clean” also hints at the purity of fruit that is often found in Oregon.

Alto Adige

The Tiefenbrunner 2009 Pinot Grigio from Alto Adige is deeper in color, a bit shy on the nose, yet the palate has the more characteristic flavor of an Italian Pinot Grigio across all price levels. For me, this translates to a rustic, slightly vegetative flavor on the palate marked by high acidity.

In the last few years, I’ve met with winemakers from Italy who have shown me their Pinot Grigio and I’ve been amazed by the complexity of their wine. Often, I’ve asked if they added oak. Often they smile and say no. “Stirring of the lees?” More smiling, and often again the word “no.”

So what can cause such incredibly richness and complexity in a PG? The answer in many cases is Italian winemakers adding some mature/botrytized grapes to the mix, which gives the wine that fullness and richness most PGs do not have. Other producers do nothing to produce this complexity, and explain the fullness and richness solely on their terroir.

I’d love to hear your thoughts about Pinot Grigio and favorite style … here are some links to some other Pinot Grigio advenutes …

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Lunch with Albino Armani

Dinner with La Tunella wines
 

Very exited to receive a case of de Lorimier's new offerings ... and really thrilled to see that among the goodies are two Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 from different vineyards. one is from Dry Creek Valley, Warm Springs Ranch, and the other is from the Alexander Valley, Crazy Creek Ranch.

So without reading the notes from the winery I am going to try them and see if I can really detect a difference in taste, as well as quality.  Differences could be found in the soils, or the microclimate ...

de Lorimier Winery 2006 Alexander Valley Crazy Creek Vineyard

color: very dark purple, fushia rim, watery white miniscus
nose: med+ intensity, a sense of minerals/earth, black jammy fruit, very ripe fruit, some tar, blackberries, some fig,
palate: dry, acid is med+ tannin is smooth and has a vibrational quality, body is med+ alc is est 14.5 finish is med+ and very layered and textured with rich ripe fruit, mocha, chocolate, fig, dried blackberries ...

Style note: A very sophisticated and textured wine with layers of chocolate, fig, ripe and nearly dried black fruit, and spice. Very balanced acid/tannin/fruit that would pair nicely with steak.

 de Lorimier Winery 2006 Dry Creek Valley Warm Springs Ranch

color: very dark purple, fushia rim, watery white miniscus
nose: medium intensity, a sense of heavier (volcanic?) earth, more red fruit than black, a bit shy ...
palate: med+ intensity, dry, acid is med (very lively and juicy), tannin is med+ , body is med (lighter) alc is 14 est, finish is zippy red higher acidity fruit such as pomegranate, red raspberry, cranberries

Style note: A palate-cleansing red wine with high acidity, minerals/earth, and lots of tart red fruit with chocolate and mocha overtones on the medium plus finish. Can work with lighter fare such as roasted salmon or duck.

Both are excellent wines, and the choice depends on personal preference and also pairing with the right cuisine. For example I am more often choosing salmon, so the Dry Creek would be my choice to pair with it. Yet the Alexander Valley is so yummy and delicious who cares about steak?

So now I am opening the notes and can see all the technical details. The "wow" factor is there are only 300 cases of de Lorimier Crazy Creek -- the grapes were hand harvested and fermented with native yeasts in stainless steel tanks. Then 36 months in French Oak (guessing a mix of some new, most a few years old) and bottled unfiltered.

The Warm Springs is only 190 cases and shares the winemaking *native yeast" (as above).

Blackstone Sonoma Reserve Pinot Noir 2009

With its velvet texture, nose of well sorted fresh grapes, and fresh flavors, this is a well balanced New World Pinot that can match many foods, especially salmon, pork, rare duck.

Mazzocco Sonoma Petite Syrah Aguilera 2007

Very sleek and elegant wine that would pair well with a well cooked steak, nicely concentrated fruit and long finish of vanilla, violets, and richly concentrated grapes.

Macari Sauvignon Blanc 2009

Very refreshing with clean, citrus, mineral flavors.

Macari Riesling 2009

Very mineral with hints of green apple and bright acidity.

Wilson Cabernet Sauvignon 2006

A very good example of a California Cabernet Sauvignon that tries to represent its terroir, this well balanced wine offers layers of flavor and some real complexity. Enjoy with a well grilled steak. Can improve with bottle age 2 - 3 years

Wilson Zinfandel 2008 Dry Creek

A big, rich, full bodied California Zinfandel with a rustic balance and sense of place and demand of terroir recognition. Great pairing with a charred grill steak

Have you ever wondered about the Mencia grape? The first time I experienced it was at the Cervantes Institute in Manhattan, where wine program creator Helio San Miguel presented a checkerboard of wines made from the Mencia grape to try.

Very interesting …

A Do-It-Yourself and simpler approach is to ask your friendly wine merchang to send you “interesting pairs” of wine, such as those made from the Mencia grape, which are received “blind.”

So from Helio’s presentation, I understood Mencia to be a high-acidity red grape from Galacia, where it rains quite a bit. The two Mencia-based wines I received from my wine merchant are from Ribeira Sacra in Galacia and the classic Bierzo.

Mencia is a “hot” grape right now in Spain, especially as it is a indigenous varietal. Characteristics of the grape are said to be a deep purple/maroon with some transparency, and a medium + nose of deep concentrated black fruit (especially black cherry), mint, and wild herbs like sage.

The wine from Galacia is the Vina do Burato from Ribeira Sacra, The vineyards are planted on the steep slopes of the valleys and canyons of the rivers Miño and Sil. The area acquired official Denominación de Origen status in 1997.
The area is divided into five sub-zones, each with a different micro-climate, but in general all the soils are alluvial over a slate based subsoil.

Winds can be strong. The vineyards are planted on terraces in the narrow valleys of the rivers and have a very concentrated flavor. Small narrow terraces mean that pruning and harvesting must be done by hand, and access is sometimes only possible from the river.

Vina do Burato Ribeira Sacra 2009

color: purple, med- trans, very purple like a darker and more trans pn but nose different
nose: cherry, med+ intensity, fresh berry, very young 2009
palate: dry, acid is med+ I, tannin low, body med- alc est 13, finish is med+ and very tart/juicy

style note: This is a young, vibrant wine from a young vintage with high acidity and very fresh cherry notes. The tart cherry flavor will pair well with pork or salmon. Good structure and finesse.

Note on winemaking: Can be confused with many fresh wines from Italy, though the cherry here is fresher. Production - curious if whole bunch pressed, only old oak, little masceration, fermented a cool temperature.

2008 Descendientes de José Palacios Bierzo Pétalos

Color: darker deeper color, fuller bodiy
nose: spice suggesting oak, med+ intensity, not so fresh cherry, but still fresh
palate: dry, acid is med+ tannin is med+ body is med+ alc is 13.e, finish is longer, richer, more substantial than #1 suggesting a year or more older, more oak (or old oak) aging, and this can pair with richer foods

style: A richer style of Bierzo with more rounded flavors, more dimension too indicating better selection of grapes, better located vineyards. This has a lot of xmas spice and texture, complexity - possible due to soil
Mountain soils have quartz and slate, with vineyards planted on humid, dark soil. The low altitude also helps to prevent late frosts.

Comparing the two wines from the Mencia grape, they are the same color, with much of the same aromas, yet the wine from Beirzo has a much earthier and fuller bodied profile. The Ribeira Sacra is a bit higher in acidity, lighter, and a bit smokier. One could easier think they are two different grapes, yet what unites them is the black cherry (fresh, yet not new world fresh) and higher than usual acidity combined with med to med – tannins.
Both wines were very good, and similar in some respects. The ability to identify the grape (key markers: high acidity, deep extraction, various cherry flavors) is key.
 

So a friend and I were at Barney's today (a fashionable department store in NYC, with a bustling restaurant) and one look at the wine list presented an attractive opportunity to casually compare a Chianti Classico with Rosso di Montalchino.

Why compare? As a student in a wine-related educational program, there's the very real chance I may be poured four glasses of a light colored red wine, and asked to speak about where they are from, how they were made, and more without seeing the label.

Let's talk Chianti Classico first.

Both wines are from the sangiovese grape (though the Rosso is a cousin/clone of the sangiovese)

The wine ordered was the San Felice Chianti Classico 07

color: purple-garnet
nose: medium intensity
palate: dry, acid med+ tannin medium and fairly rough, body med, alc est 13, finish med+ with flavors of cherry and oak

style note: rustic with good fruit concentration and oak maturation. This is a good pair with food such as pizza or lasagna

The other wine was Camparzo 07 Rosso di Montalchino

color dep purple carnet

nose: spice, shy

palate: med+ intensity, dry, alc med, tannin med and very smooth, body med alc est 13.3 finish med +

Style note: Juicy, balanced and delicious, this is a very good example of rosso di Montalchino. 

What is interesting to note is that When Chianti Clasic was granted DOCG status, the status was applied to the entire Chianti production area. Though the winemakers must adhere to strict laws concerning the percentages of grapes used, as well as yields, etc, the words "know your producer" are key.

The Rosso di Montalchino, though about $10 more expensive per bottle, seemed to infer more quality by its more specialized regional nature. The area is smaller, and the word "rosso" as opposed to the regular (and more expensive! ) DOCG  Brunello di Montalchino means that the DOC Rosso di Montalchino applies to lesser or declassified wines of Brunelli di Montalchino or wines made from young vines.

So thought for the day? Given the relative small price difference, the Rosso di Montalchino seemed it would offer more concentrated fruit and a better wine. Also, there could be the surprise that it had an even higher quality -- it had been a Brunello that for whatever reason, was declassified into the lesser wine. I had heard a story that some producer ran out of labels(given out by authorities in very limited and exact quantaties)  that said Brunello so had to slap a Rosso label on an (expensive!) Brunello.

Who knows if the story is true -- yet one can always dream.

So have you ever been in the position of blind tasting a lighter bodied, rather fruity wine, with bright red fruit flavors, minerals, and in some cases, a vertical structure? As a student in various wine educational programs, yes, I have – and when faced with several wines fitting this description, it can often be choosing between Pinot Noir, Gamay, and Cabernet Franc (assuming it is traditional old world varieties).

As is increasingly the case, I asked a local wine store (who understands the demands/requirements of the programs) to send me four bottles (wrapped to taste blind) from the Loire and Beaujolais. I would not know if they were Gamay, Pinot Noir, or Cabernet Franc.

When poured, all the wines had the same purple/garnet color even though they ranged in age from 2007 to 2009. They had a similar nose too … a vibrant red fresh fruit profile, in some cases a deeper sense of soil/minerals/earth than others.

One in particular was darker, suggesting more extraction. Yet without interviewing the winemaker, or tasting other wines from the village, I could not comment if the color was from more extraction/masceration or soil.

Below are some tasting notes from the above, with the conclusion being that the central difference between the Gamay and Cabernet Franc was that that Cab Franc had more structure, and to my mind, the Gamay (all very good quality from known producers and famous importers) had a deeper sense of terroir, in particular, the soil that marks both Beaujolais and the Loire (Tufo, limestone, clay).

2008 Domaine du Vissoux / Pierre-Marie Chermette Brouilly Pierreux
color: purple
nose: shy
palate: med+ dry, acid is med+ tannin is med+ (rough) body med alc est 13 finish is of raspberry, oak, med+

Style: This is a rustic example of gamy from Brouilly which displays some depth and complexity at a very simple level and superior to others. Fresh red fruit, tempered by some older oak, good soil, all add up to a well balanced rustic wine that would pair well with salmon or lamb.

Domaine de la Charmoise 2009
color: fushia
nose: med+ intensity, rustic strawberry, berry fruit with nibs
palate: med intensity, dry, acid med () tannin low+ body med alc est 12.5 length med

Style note: Lots of earth and minerality in this light hued wine which color and weight reflects the soils. Extremely rustic yet can pair well with lamb roasted or charred. (29 views)

Domaine Guion Bourgueil Cuvée Domaine 2007

color: bright purple fushia, transparent, looks younger than 3 years
nose: med+ intensity, green notes ... spice, bell pepper,
palate: med+ intensity, dry, acid is med () tannin med+ body med alc est 13 length med+ ...

Style note: very rich and well balanced Cabernet franc from Bourgueil, elegance dressed in its traditional rusticity.

Compared to the 2009 Baudry Chinon, (also given it is 2 years older) it has more depth, complexity, and finesse while still fitting in the drink early style. The flavors are brighter red fruit with dramatic undertones of black tea.

Domaine Bernard Baudry Chinon Les Granges 2009

deep dark muted purple, tears stained
nose: med+ intensity, clear "char" of oak yet may be older oak,
palate: med+ intensity, dry, acid is med + tannin med body med alc est 13 length med+

Style note: A well balanced yet characteristically rustic Chinon displaying juicy fresh fruit, some black tea, and typicity for the region. This vintage seems especially rustic.

Chanrion Côte de Brouilly Domaine de la Voute des Crozes2009

color is purple with fushia rim
nose: just opened, shy -- detect a "flowerbox" aroma, fresh dirt mixed with barely opened flowers
palate: med intensity, dry, acid is med tannin med body med alc est 12.5 (13) finish med

Style note: Considering this is a young bougoulais, it is extremely well balanced and both refreshing on the palate and satifying on the finish. Extremely smooth with concentration of fruit and as much as its class allows, complexity of flavors

"What a delicious wine!" exclaims the client with real enthusiasm after his first sip of Carmenere, a popular Chilean varietal that was once mistaken for Merlot given its soft, velvety nature. Of course, the CEO started off the dinner with two very expensive bottles of Burgundy, which given the young vintage were not exactly showing at their best. In order to change the theme, and lower the tab, I quickly scanned the menu and ordered the $40 bottle.

Why Carmenere? Why now? Since the client refused to be poured more of the Burgundy and sipped Carmenere with interest, I imagine it is because Carmenere is ready to drink, incredibly delicious, and easy on the pocketbook during these challenging economic times. This brings me to the main point of this column: the exact same statement can be said of Malbec, a varietal which is "old world" in nature (think the Loire and Bordeaux), yet has found new popularity in Argentina.

Now that I have attained my Diploma from the Wine & Spirits Educational Trust, my next step is the Master of Wine, a self-study program in which students must blind taste wines and guess the varietals in a deductive fashion. Since Malbec and Carmenere are both a purple-ruby color with a similar nose and palate, yet come from two different countries and grape varietals, I needed to taste test them together in order to fix their characteristics in my mind.

If you would like to perform a similar taste test, call your local wine store, explain what you are doing, and ask the clerk to find an example of a Malbec and Carmenere which are similar in appearance, nose, and palate, and then ask the clerk to cover the bottle (usually done with a wine bag).

Once you receive the bottles, invite a few wine savvy friends over (not necessary, yet fun) and pour them a small amount of each varietal in two separate glasses. For my own test, the clerk sent me Crucero Carmenere from Chile's Colchagua Valley, and La Flor de Pulenta Wines (the Malbec) from Mendoza, Argentina.

As I suspected, both the wines looked similar in the glass, an extracted ruby-purple, though the Carmenere was a bit muddier while the Malbec had more of a scintillating brightness and clarity to it. Swirling each glass, I saw that the Carmenere had extraction in the tears (the waves of wine that rise and fall with each swirl), yet the glass became stained by them. The Malbec also had extraction (usually indicating a thick skinned grape), yet the tears did not stain the glass.

On the nose, both appeared initially similar. The Carmenere had smoke, rich red/black fruit, and a concentrated note like fig. The Malbec had a more pronounced oak (similar to a fireplace, though it could just be this one producer), and the wine seemed to be more red/purple flowers than fruit. In palate, the Carminere and Malbec both had med+ acidity, lower tannin, med to med- body, and alcohol around 13.5. Both my friend and I could recognize the Carminere when side-by-side with the Malbec, as it was smoother, had more body, and a bit more lush.

If you try this at home, please tell me your thoughts! I am story @awine story.com and you can also tweet me @awinestory

Technical notes: The Carmenere was made from 100/5 estate grown grapes with fermentation in stainless steel and aging in French oak for twelve months. La Flor de Pulenta Malbec made from 100% Estate fruit from the youngest vines and six months in neutral French oak barrels.
 

According to the web site, this is 100% Merlot, and you can see the flavor profiles below. Since I'm more of a left bank Bordeaux drinker (Cab Sauvignon territory) I'm surprised that I like it. Interesting, also, to note how many of the "typical" flavors are reflected in this wine including blueberry ("blue fruit," in case you are ever facing an exam) and cocoa/chocolate to be sure. Also plum, spice (in a major way), caramel (if you really use your imagination), and prune (ditto). Also coffee and mint. Try printing this flavor table out and use it when you have your next Merlot.

Wow, came upon this super gossipy wine/review story on a blog when I was searching for information on the Gernot Heinrich 2004 Blaufrankisch I'm experiencing. I'll post my notes later ... but the focus in this post is how the web is such a juicy source of information about an individual's response to:

1. Sommeliers (the blogger said the sommelier was busy looking at some cute waiter) and too busy to visit their table.

2. Wine training (the waitress, not expected to tell patrons the difference between three relatively obscure Austrian grapes, did her best to make a go of it.)

3. How many patrons go online to view a venue's wine list

Here's a link to the blog. It's really fun to see how this individual experiences a restaurant