I am not a fan of Oregon Pinot Gris. I find that most are insipid, dilute, off dry messes. Frankly, I can only think of about four that I’ve liked over the last five years or so. Imagine my surprise when I had two very good Pinot Gris this past weekend.
The first was a 2013 Matello Pinot Gris that was bone dry, with racy acidity. It showed aromas of apples and a little citrus, followed by apples, cherries, and slightly under-ripe peaches on the palate. The finish is long and intense. It reminded me in a lot of ways of a racier/wilder version of some of the Marcel Deiss wines we tried in Alsace a couple of years ago.
The second wine was a 1987 Eyrie Pinot Gris. This tasted more like a mature Chardonnay than a Pinot Gris. While it showed the apple and citrus like the Matello, the citrus was more upfront and decidedly meyer lemon, and the apple was mellower (more Golden Delicious to the Matello’s Gravenstein). It had a more substantial mouthfeel, though the finish was a bit shorter. A fantastic showing from a 27 year old Pinot Gris!
Thanks for the notes. I do not have much love for Oregon Pinot Gris, especially considering what I can get for the same price elsewhere, but on my last trip in February I tasted a number of Pinot Gris that had me very intrigued. I even slapped some money down.
You and me both Jason. I poured next to Marcus the other week at an event and loved that Gris. Would love to try that old Eyrie. An '85 I tried a few years ago was similarly fascinating.
Rick, since you are right down the block from Eyrie, have you tasted the 2012 original vines Pinot Gris?
It’s like one of those crystal forests in a bottle we used to grow when we were kids. As if Dauvissat were making wine from Pinot Gris. About as far away from the Alsatian model as you can get, yet more colorful than the top Trentino PGs.
I should really buy a case and try it over the next 20 years, but I’m not sure they would sell me more than a bottle or two.
I thought this was a discussion of the two girls who hang out at my house drinking prodigious amounts of said wines. I have given up and now just slip in a Blanc for laughs.
Peter, I had the privilege of attending Eyrie’s winemaker dinner at the Steamboat Inn back in April (our brewer’s dinner was the next night), and they served this with the salad, IIRC. It was superb.
I just tasted (1 hour ago) the Original Vine and “regular” 2012 Gris’, both were outstanding wines. The Original Vines though was something else entirely. What a wine. The only comparable thing I can think of is the 2011 Original Vines San Soufre that I got from Storyteller last year. It was epic as well.