Pinot Grigio Finds a Home in California
Author: Alan BoehmerPublished on: Jul 17, 2000
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.
We chose to begin our evaluation of current Pinot Grigios with the current release from Santa Margherita, the winery which lays claim to the origin of the varietal wine. This was the second most expensive wine in the lineup; and unequivocally the worst.
1998 Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio Valdadige $18.12
Thin, acidic, very dry, with suggestions of general citrus and flint. Sound, but not recommended, despite its wide availability and attractive label.
We sought out a distinguished Italian example and selected an excellent PG from Collio, Friuli. This region is better known for its outstanding Ribolla Gialla, so we included the producer’s version of that wine as well.
1999 Polencic Ribolla Gialla Collio D.O.C. $15.99
1998 Polencic Pinot Grigio Collio D.O.C. $16.99
Both wines are lovely. The tasters rated them at 87 and 88 respectively on the 100 point scale. The PG displayed a slightly darker color, with rich, creamy flavors of lemon, nuts, and spice. Both of these wines are moderately aromatic, balanced and restrained. Both are extremely supple, easy-drinking wines. The PG appeared to be unfiltered; the Ribolla was crystal clear.
The two Polencic wines had much in common, despite the fact that they represent two distinctly different varietals. We considered this a reflection of current stylistic trends in northern Italy. The Santa Margherita example seemed to represent an older style, according to which white wines were intended more as palate cleansers than serious, complex wines. The impression of suppleness seems to be pervasive in recent high end Italian whites. We noticed it in high quality Soave, Tocai Friulano, and Vernaccia di San Gimignano also. The notion of dry Italian whites being thin, acidic, and uninteresting seems to have lost its currency.
With the flavors of Italy clearly in mind, our panel approached examples of the current crop of California Pinot Grigios. Would these be thin and uninteresting? Creamy and supple? More Alsatian than Italian in style? Our review of current California Pinot Grigios will appear next week, along with descriptions, recommendations, and purchasing information.
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