[From time to time, my dear friend Kristy sends us an entry for the happyrobot. She is one of our west coast robots and has been in the wine & spirits business for many years.]
Willakenzie Estate Pinot Gris 2002 from the Willamette Valley in Oregon. Go buy it now. Make the Leo of your life purr with contentment. The Pinot Gris is the same grape as a Pinot Grigio from Italy, but when it grows on the hillsides of Oregon’s Chehalem Mountains, stand back.
This wine has a beautifully deep floral nose of lilacs, rounded by cream, honey, pineapple, and honeysuckle nectar. With one sip of this velvety divinity, the mouth is full of rich tropical fruits, coconut milk, apricot, pear, balanced by brilliant lime and vibrant white pepper in the finish that goes on and on and on and on. Ahhhh, like the delicate cling of silk sheets. Crisp and refreshing, this one is built for immediate pleasure or it will sit patiently for a few years getting even better. A beauty for any beast.
Quite a venture from the o’ so popular Pinot Grigio from Italy, hard to believe it is the same grape. That is a lesson in what soil, climate and winemaking can do. At $18 a bottle, it is a reasonably priced wine for such a luxury. It suits well with fresh caught Oregon salmon, cream sauces, halibut, spicy curry, Asian and Thai foods or just as an afternoon delight with a friend on the patio.
