What's the best Pinot Grigio?

[Marcus_Goodfellow]

What’s the best 3-ring binder? What’s the best Applebees? What’s the best traffic cone? What’s the best canned peas?

These burning questions somehow tower over “What’s the best Pinot Gris?”

Whatever one isn’t in your glass.

Lol…

I’ve got two good ones out right now that you would probably like, except you won’t taste them

But to the OP: lots of good ideas above. I would second Doug on Vie de Romans. Dynamite versions of Pinot Gris(gio). Lageder as well.

[Marcus_Goodfellow]

One more option, surprised I haven’t seen it posted here yet.

Calling Marcus,

How quick can you send Jay a case of your Goodfellow Family Cellars Pinot Gris Reserve Clover?

One of the best Pinot Gris I’ve tasted and at around $20, it feels like stealing.

You’ll be happy, your guests will be happy, win-win!

Thank you for the mention! We’re on the 2017 PG Reserve right now, and it’s lovely. But honestly, the 2018 Goodfellow Pinot Gris shows what can be great about Pinot Gris, and at $15/bottle, minus the case discount, Jay would pay almost as 50% as much in shipping as he would for the wine.

[Nathan_Smyth]

A bit like my approach to Malbec, which I do not like but which makes up about 0.1% of my cellar so I have something when people ask for it.

There are two shops in NY claiming to have the 2012 Vinalba Gran Reserva in stock:

[u]https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/vinalba+grand+rsrv+malbec+mendoza+argentina/2012/usa-ny[/u]

^^^That’s what you want right there.

First thing is region, go for Alto Adige. A producer I like is Nals Margreid. Their Pungll is very good around $35 Can at the KGBO.

Definitely the Punggl.

[u]https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/punggl/1/usa-ny[/u]

If you look around, you might even to be able to find it in 1500ml magnums, and those shouldn’t have any trouble aging for 30 years or more.

[DougS]

St Michael Eppan, Abbazia Di Novacella, Hofstatter, Lageder, Elena Walch, Tiefenbrunner, Schiopetto, Jermann, Cantina Tramin, Cantina Terlano are just a few reliable names

This is a solid list.

Jay, several people in this thread are trying to force their tastes on your guests in ways that are total nonsense. High end Alsatian PG is FAR from what the Italian PG drinker wants. Almost as far as orange wine. Views on quality, though correct, won’t change the preferences of your guests. I never have Italian PG around, but it doesn’t pain me to have a nice bottle of Gavi on hand, like Christina Ascheri, for people who like that style. It’s a heck of a lot closer than a radically different style of PG. That way, the guests who like Italian PG are actually happy with the wine (clearly that is the goal). Plus, you can enjoy it too.

[Dan_Kravitz]

to Jim Anderson and all of those who cast aspersions: The grape can make good, fine, and yes, great wine. Snobbish arrogance should have limits and this should be one of them.

Pinot Gris / Grigio: To all who recommended from among the myriad of good, fine and yes, great Pinot Gris from Alsace, the point has been made (correctly) that this ain’t what Jay’s guests are looking for.

to all: Walch, Tiefenbrunner, Lageder, Jermann, Terlano and others mentioned from the Alto Adige all make excellent wines that Jay’s guests will appreciate. Familiar enough to the style of the dreaded, dilute Santa Margherita to be comfortable, but an order of magnitude better, so may inspire them to look beyond the 10 ton an acre (100 - 150 hectolitres per hectare) stuff. If you want something that’s inexpensive and very widely available from Alto Adige, Kris is actually a solid step up on Santa Margherita, very moderately priced, and it can be found almost everywhere.

Oregon makes a lot of wonderful Pinot Gris, I’ve had a few dozen but there are probably hundreds. Again, should not make Jay’s guests uncomfortable (which much Alsace would do), but so much better that it may inspire them. Eyrie has been my favorite.

Dan Kravitz

[markjchambers]

I second King Estate pinot gris. Good value, good with mild fish.

[K_John_Joseph]

What’s the best 3-ring binder? What’s the best Applebees? What’s the best traffic cone? What’s the best canned peas?

These burning questions somehow tower over “What’s the best Pinot Gris?”

Whatever one isn’t in your glass.

I’m 93 points on that, but since it’s by a winemaker from Oregon, a region producing some of the “best” pinot gris in the world, I’m 99 points on that. And I laughed out loud in my office.

Except that it seems to be getting pulled out by many Oregon wineries to make room for Chardonnay.

For extremely good reason. Some of the best pinot gris pales in comparison to some of the best chardonnay coming out of Oregon.

[John_Morris]

What’s the best 3-ring binder? What’s the best Applebees? What’s the best traffic cone? What’s the best canned peas?

These burning questions somehow tower over “What’s the best Pinot Gris?”

Whatever one isn’t in your glass.

How did I miss this at the time? Maybe because it was buried in a thread on pinot grigio.

I do have to add that I was thrilled to find some Donnhoff Grauburgunder (= pinot gris) in Vancouver over the holidays. A wonderful wine, sadly not brought into the US.

[AD_Northup]

Not a big fan of generic Pinot Grigio, but kudos to you for being a good sport.

As mentioned before:

Venica & Venica Pinot Grigio Jesera
Vie di Romans Pinot Grigio Dessimis

A bit more out of the box:

Marjan Simçiç Pinot Grigio Brda Classic (Slovenia)

+1 on the simcic. Can actually be aged a few years too (had an 09 at the vineyard in 2015 that was awesome)

[Thomas_Keim]

Terlan and Venica & Venica come to mind

If someone is asking for Pinot Grigio, they want the light, clean style from Italy. And there really is a ton of very good Pinot Grigio from Alto Adige or Friuli (the Collio district). It seems that Jermann has greatly increased production over the last few years - as I am seeing them pop up with some Gallo wholesalers stateside. Silvio Jermann’s whites are still very good as is the wonderful Vintage Tunina.

The Terlan can be found under $20, and that is always a textbook delicious Pinot Grigio - and widely available. I love Venica & Venica.

[Arv_R]

Alois Lageder and Tiefenbrunner were going to be my suggestions. So I second those.

After seeing Tiefenbrunner mentioned here, and in one Belfrage’s books on Italian wines, I picked up a current release pinot grigio to try. They are widely available at Costco, wine.com etc. I’m really loving the 2019! lots of flavor intensity, yet light / airy / zingy / lemony. And at 12.5% abv and a screwcap closure, this is a perfect picnic/daytime quaffer.

This totally makes my reload list.

[jon_leifer]

Tiefenbrunner is consistently good and good value, have been drinking their PG and Pinot Blanc for years.

[Dan_Kravitz]

I apologize. I posted earlier, but left off the greatest I’ve had: Boxler.

Dan Kravitz

[Pau1_M3nk3s]

First of all, you need to spell it correctly: G-R-A-U-B-U-R-G-U-N-D-E-R. Got it?
Seriously, you can find some nice German Pinot Gris/Grigio/Grauburgunder that can be enjoyed by both wine lovers and regular folk.

[Todd_Hamina]

I have a few cases left of 2009, 2010 and 2012 Pinot grigio that still kicks. If you are interested let me know. Unfined, unfiltered, technically dry, full malo, blah blah blah (the usual).

[HoosJustinG]

Wine guy at my local grocery store once asked me: “what do Pinot Grigio and having sex on a boat have in common?” I said I had no idea. He said “they’re both f***ing pretty close to water.”

[Bob_C]

Wine guy at my local grocery store once asked me: “what do Pinot Grigio and having sex on a boat have in common?” I said I had no idea. He said “they’re both f***ing pretty close to water.”

Awesome. I’m definitely stealing this one!

[Dusty_Gillson]

Tiefenbrunner is the only wine labeled ‘Pinot Grigio’ that I’ve found that is really worth looking for and appreciating. Pinot Gris, as has been mentioned, is a different discussion altogether.

[Rob_Lynch]

Anything in a magnum.