Spring is here and summer is just around the corner. As much as I like reds, there is nothing better than a cool crisp white wine on a warm summer evening; sitting on the back porch, the sun just heading towards the horizon and dinner a couple of hours away. For me, this is the perfect setting for a nice Pinot Gris.
This week brought an unexpected surprise as I worked to pair wines with cupcakes. The challenge presented me with Whitestone Winery's Pinot Gris made from grapes sourced in Washington's Columbia Valley. This vibrant wine is fruit forward on the nose and I immediately thought of late spring and the peach harvest in the Texas Hill Country, giving birth to a beautiful peach cupcake with an Italian merigue buttercream frosting.
Whitestone is a small producer based in Spokane (Eastern Washington) with their own vineyard north of the city near Lake Roosevelt, producing roughly 2500 cases annually. The Pinot Gris however, is produced from sourced grapes south of Spokane in the Columbia Valley. This is the only wine produced by Whitestone that is not made from grapes grown in their own vineyards. The Columbia Valley fruit produces a resulting wine that is lighter than most Italian Pinot Grigio, resulting in a crisp light wine with not too much acid, a welcome pleasantry considering the cool weather of 2010.
Evaluation:
Sight – the wine is visually clear with a star bright reflection and core of a soft white golden hue giving way to a young watery rim. The subtle legs are consistent with less viscosity than we are used to with higher alcohol wines, but as expected for 12.6% alcohol nectar.
Smell – on the nose the wine is clean and there is no question it is a Pinot Gris. The vibrant white fruit, for me I immediately found the peach and pear, with apple following.
Taste & Touch – this light bodied wine delivers on the palate all the fruit from the noise. The acid was surprising nice as I had expected much more coming from a cold vintage. The minerality was in the background providing a nice contrast to the crisp fruit. Fermented dry, the wine still taste, as it should, a little fruit forward.
Conclusions:
While I have always enjoyed bold Italian Pinot Grigio's, this wine is perfect for an evening on the porch. Its balance of fruit and acid allows it to be enjoyed by itself as an apéritif or paired with a variety of light bites, especially Pacific Northwest shell fish. Roasted poultry and light non-sauced pasta dishes would complement the wine nicely. The 2010 Not Whitestone is ready to drink now, and you should before it starts getting cold again.
Price: $8-$14 (retail) $24-$32 (restaurant)
Sight – the wine is visually clear with a star bright reflection and core of a soft white golden hue giving way to a young watery rim. The subtle legs are consistent with less viscosity than we are used to with higher alcohol wines, but as expected for 12.6% alcohol nectar.
Smell – on the nose the wine is clean and there is no question it is a Pinot Gris. The vibrant white fruit, for me I immediately found the peach and pear, with apple following.
Taste & Touch – this light bodied wine delivers on the palate all the fruit from the noise. The acid was surprising nice as I had expected much more coming from a cold vintage. The minerality was in the background providing a nice contrast to the crisp fruit. Fermented dry, the wine still taste, as it should, a little fruit forward.
Conclusions:
While I have always enjoyed bold Italian Pinot Grigio's, this wine is perfect for an evening on the porch. Its balance of fruit and acid allows it to be enjoyed by itself as an apéritif or paired with a variety of light bites, especially Pacific Northwest shell fish. Roasted poultry and light non-sauced pasta dishes would complement the wine nicely. The 2010 Not Whitestone is ready to drink now, and you should before it starts getting cold again.
Price: $8-$14 (retail) $24-$32 (restaurant)
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