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"Tutu...A Pinot Grigio that'll knock
your Toe Shoes off!
Famed Cal-Ital winemaker Rob Lawson has crafted an absolute
killer 2006 P-G that rocks the foundation of some of Italy's
most noted and (far more expensive) examples made from the
same, luscious grape. $150.00 Case of 12.
A friend of ours who co-owns a brokerage which sports one
of the most eclectic and sought after wine portfolios in California
(that is NO BS) stopped by last Friday afternoon with a bottle
of Pinot Grigio the quality of which nearly left me speechless
in my attempt to describe.
(But I'll give it the old "Root-Method" try)
This is a hybrid of the best of two hemispheres. (East and
West). The wine has the classic California flavors of nectarine,
peach, Queen Ann cherries and river stones combined with the
eternal Italian characteristics of mineral, citrus and flint.
This, my friends is a PERFECT warm evening wine to share
on the back deck. It is a delicious and refreshing thirst
quencher (only 13% alcohol). The wine will also serve you
well after the sun goes down with any lighter grilled meats,
Chef's salads, egg dishes, with appetizers or all by itself.
(Heck, it wouldn't hurt to put a splash in a glass with a
little lemon-lime soda and a couple ice cubes either).
When poured into a Riedel "O" tasting glass I was
immediately impressed with the rich esters of sweet stone
fruit, vanilla and melon. The mouth echoed these sexy odors
and added lush fruit, a surprisingly rich mid-palate and a
round, seamless finish. The wine has a perfect acid balance
with notes of cream competing with ice-water, vanilla with
sweet oranges and slate with pineapples.
A favorite of Sugar Plum Fairies everywhere!
This guy always wants ME to tell him what the wine's worth.
So as not to embarrass anyone I usually guess a little low
(you'd think I'd be good at this by NOW). There is a little
self-created formula that I employ when confronted with this
task...the price of comparable domestic and imported examples
of the same variety, the number of cases made, the track record
of the producer, the winemaker, current price/ton of grapes,
oaked or un-oaked and a couple peripheral variables.
As this is a beautifully packaged, stainless fermented, hand-made
effort of less than 2,500 cases made by a well-known and respected
winemaker who specializes in Cal-Ital varieties (and P-G has
become insanely popular in the last couple years) I said it
should retail for between $15-$18 dollars. (The world's favorite
and somewhat inferior "Santa Margherita" PG now
has a S.R.P. of $30)
My friend was grinning as he told me that we could sell this
beautiful, limited production, hand-crafted wine for $12.50/Bottle/$150.00
Case of 12."
-Roots Cellar newsletter, July 2007
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