The 2011 J Vineyards and Winery Pinot Gris, California has one of the most amazingly intense noses I've come across in recent memory. Luscious waves of tangerine, ginger, cantaloupe and white flowers tantalize the nose while honeyed melon and mineral notes tease the palate. There's a hint of residual sugar on the finish, but it does not detract from the wine's overall crisp and clean nature. Would make an excellent summertime sipper. A beautiful wine in the sub-$15 range that paired perfectly with tonight's shrimp/shiitake mushroom/spinach/bowtie pasta toss.
I must confess, I haven't had anything from Jordan/J Vineyards in probably 20 years as I tend to avoid mass-produced/name brand labels when possible. But being a big domestic Pinot Gris fan, I thought I'd take a chance on this one that I saw at a grocery store in St. Louis over Christmas. Nice to see this starting to show up on retailers' shelves in the KC area.
