PINOT GRIGIO & PINOT GRIS:  TWELVE WINES TASTED & REVIEWED
        Go to REVIEW NOTES by Chris Kassel and the MichWine Tasters
        Go to FOOD & WINE MATCHES  by Master Sommelier Claudia Tyagi

Which style do you prefer -- a light, dry, fruity Italian Pinot Grigio, or a dense, oily, off-dry Alsace Pinot Gris? If the experience of the MichWine Tasters is an indication, most Michigan winemakers are betting it's the former.

We tasted twelve wines labeled Pinot Grigio or Pinot Gris. Though the contents didn't always match the name on the label, there were no clunkers among them. The 2006 Leelanau Cellars Pinot Grigio made our "Excellent" category, with several others nearly as enjoyable.

Let's back up for a quick look at the middle sibling of the Pinot family -- a pink-colored grape situated halfway between Pinot Blanc (white Pinot) and Pinot Noir (black Pinot). No big surprise: the Europeans call it Grey. That's Pinot Gris if you're French, Pinot Grigio on the tongues of the Italians. So far, so good.

Ripe Pinot Grigio grapes at Bel Lago

Then they make totally different wines from the same grape.

Perhaps influenced by their other regional grapes -- Riesling and Gewurztraminer -- Alsace winemakers prefer their Pinot Gris in an intense, highly-aromatic, densely-fruited, thick-in-the-mouth style that's normally off-dry. The Italians, whose whites are generally lighter and drier, turn it into a fragrant, light-bodied, easily-quaffed wine that rarely reaches for the concentration of which the grape is capable.

Among our Michigan samples, only those from Willow and Longview adopted the Pinot Gris name. Both wines are off-dry, and both ranked among our favorites. The tasters slightly preferred the Willow 2005 to the soon-to-be-released 2006; the Longview is already sold out at the winery's tasting room.

Winemaker Shawn Walters of Leelanau Cellars turned in a surprisingly full-throttle version of 2006 Pinot Grigio that wowed a number of the MichWine tasters. It wasn't surprising to learn that he'd also been responsible for making the Longview.

Down south, St. Julian showed off a highly-enjoyable 2005 that picked up a double-gold medal at the San Fracisco Wine Competition. With a $10 winery price tag, it's among the best-buy wines of the tasting. 

  PINOT GRIGIO & PINOT GRIS:  TWELVE WINES TASTED & REVIEWED
        Go to REVIEW NOTES by Chris Kassel and the MichWine Tasters
        Go to FOOD & WINE MATCHES  by Master Sommelier Claudia Tyagi