Third in a Series on Italian Varietals in California
The great Italian white varietals - Arneis, Garganega, Vernaccia, Tocai, Cortese, Pinot Grigio, Fiano, Malvasia, Moscato - are little known in California. While Muscat Canelli, the most widely grown Italian white varietal here, is commonly offered by our wineries as a token off-dry white aimed to please less sophisticated palates, California wineries have been reluctant to try to replicate the fine dry white table wines of Italy.In our search to determine the current status of Italian white varietals in the Golden State, we discovered eighteen wineries currently offering a Pinot Grigio, making this the first dry white Italian varietal to gain a firm foothold in California. Add to that the dozens of wineries offering Pinot Gris (the Alsatian version of the same grape) and we can see a viable alternative to Chardonnay. And since the average price of a top California Pinot Grigio is less than $15, PG can compete with Sauvignon Blanc as California's greatest value in dry white table wine.
Pinot Grigio (Pinot Gris), like Pinot Bianco (Pinot Blanc), is a mutation of Pinot Noir. It's skin color ranges from light grey to a pinkish grey, hence the name. Ordinarily the wine is made with little skin contact, resulting in a light straw color. A small amount of skin contact yields a wine of greater depth and increased color.
Oz Clark points out that this varietal reaches its finest expression in northern climate zones, notably in Alsace; Italian versions are found to be thin, acidic, and uninteresting. We chose to decide for ourselves.
The appearance of varietal Pinot Grigio in Italy is a relatively recent occurrence. The house of Santa Margherita in the Alto Adige region claims to be the first winery in Italy to release it. Other sources suggest an origin in Friuli. Whether the Alsatian Pinot Gris and the Italian Pinot Grigio share a clonal identity or are simply similar mutations was not discussed in any of the sources available to us at this time. We will try to address this issue in our forthcoming article on Alsatian varietals in California.
The flavor and aroma spectrum of Pinot Grigio is broad and varied, closer to Viognier than Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc. Common descriptors which appear repeatedly include almond, citrus, cream, floral, green apple, honey, lemon, meaty nuts, melon, mineral, orange rind, and spice. Since California vintners use a range of winemaking techniques, domestic Pinot Grigio might be fermented in stainless steel, cement, old oak, or new. It might be free of malolactic influence, or be made with partial M/L. We didn't find a 100% M/L example. The wines which were partially malolactic had a noticeably creamy aspect, while those without it appeared cleaner and fresher. Our panel liked both styles.
