THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, June 19, 1994 TAG: 9406170112
SECTION: FLAVOR PAGE: F6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: JIM RAPER
DATELINE: 940619 LENGTH: Long
But mutations of pinot noir have evolved into two grape varieties from which white wine is produced: pinot gris and pinot blanc. Neither threatens to challenge pinot noir for family supremacy, but both could rise in popularity in the next few years.
{REST} Chardonnay remains atop the ladder of white wines, paying little mind to predictions that its popularity will wane. Sauvignon blanc has won converts, and is more or less the white wine that the mass market drinks when it's not drinking chardonnay.
Two things irk me about chardonnay and sauvignon blanc, however.
First, the weightiness. The chardonnay field seems to be dominated by fat wines, heavily oaked, with not enough zing on the finish to clean up the vanilla, butter and fruit cocktail flavors they have deposited in the mouth. Too many producers of sauvignon blanc head down the same road, making thick, honey-colored, oaked wines instead of grassy and sassy examples.
Second, there's the expense. Chardonnays have long demanded high prices because of their popularity. Now, the better sauvignon blancs, which just a few years ago were a bargain, cost nearly $15 a bottle, and I've paid as much as $20.
Which brings me back to pinot gris and pinot blanc. They are affordable. Furthermore, the most attractive wines made from pinot gris and pinot blanc are nothing if not dry and crisp.
Just in the last 15 years have Oregon wineries latched onto this variety, and only in the last five or so has the wine been widely available on the East Coast.
A few Oregon producers have decided upon a big, oaked style, but for the most part this Northwest pinot gris tastes of green apples, tart pear or citrus. The wines match well with shellfish, firm-fleshed fish, vegetables, many light meats and most poultry. Oregon pinot gris would be a good choice to accompany broiled local bluefish.
Producers to look for include Eyrie, Elk Cove, Adelsheim, Oak Knoll, Bridgeview, Ponzi and Montinore. The best of these wines I have tasted have been from the 1991 vintage. Particularly good were the Montinore 1991 Willamette Valley ($10) and Elk Cove 1991 Willamette Valley ($12).
The 1992 vintage in Oregon turned out some bland examples, but the early word is the 1993s have more acid and should be eagerly anticipated.
If Oregon pinot gris can be called medium-bodied, then two other examples of wine made from this grayish-rose colored grape lay claim to the polar ends. (None of the grape's skin color usually shows up in the wine, but sometimes it has a copper tinge.)
Pinot grigio (pronounced gree-d'jo) is the Italian name for pinot gris, which is grown in the northern part of the country and used to make light, almost colorless wines.
Most wine fanciers are familiar with pinot grigio. A decade or so ago it enjoyed a bubble of trendiness and still sells well in some regions of the East Coast.
But much of the pinot grigio available in Hampton Roads, including bottles on grocery store shelves, is thin beyond belief and turns off many consumers. I remember drinking pinot grigio with friends and joking that the condensation on the outside of my glass was more flavorful than the wine in it.
A good pinot grigio, however, one with a nutty flavor and zing on the finish, is one of the best summer sippers you can buy. It matches nicely with most finger foods. I recently sampled an Albola 1993 Pinot Grigio Aquileia Del Friuli ($9) and was much impressed. Ask your wine merchant to recommend a tasty example for hot-weather drinking.
On the other pole, the pinot gris made in the Alsace in France has enough body to accompany grilled tuna or smoked duck. I've had good experiences with Trimbach Pinot Gris (a good value at about $9). These wines can gain complexity from a few years of bottle aging, and, at their best, have a floral nose, almond and spiced apple flavor with mineral notes and a dry finish.
Other Alsation producers to look for include Leon Beyer, Hugel, Mure, and Domaine Zind Humbrecht.
Pinot blanc grapes lean toward the acidic and are sometimes used to make dry sparkling wines. But California, Italy (where it is known as pinot bianco) and the Alsace produce varietal examples.
Even when California wineries tone down the acid in pinot blanc with malolactic fermentation and age it in oak barrels, the wine usually holds its clean and refreshing finish. And its lack of exhuberent fruit can work in its favor. Like pinot gris, it complements a variety of foods because of its crispness and because it doesn't have overpowering or conflicting flavors of its own.
Many Thai foods can be matched with pinot blancs, especially those wines from the Alsace or the bigger ones from California. Pasta and vegetable salads team well with lighter whites, such as the pinot biancos. Of course, a common match is with fish or poultry.
The Benzinger 1992 Pinot Blanc Sonoma County ($12.50) is a rich version to look for. I've enjoyed simpler (and cheaper at about $8) California examples from Mirassou and Paraiso Springs.
One of the better examples from Alsace I've tasted was the Domaine Marcel Deiss 1989 Pinot Blanc Bennwihr ($9). by CNB