Pinot Grigio (or sometimes Pinot Gris), it’s somewhere between crisp, refreshing, elegant, refined, and innocuous. Pinot Grigio usually produces deeper golden wines with neutral flavors and aromas. In addition to these characteristics, it is usually low acidity and minimal oak influence. The ‘best’ hail from Northern Italy and Alsace (where it arguably produces its most interesting incarnations). Other good interpretations hail from California and Oregon.
There are some wines that First Pour Wine has honestly not had a good go of, and fairly far up that list is Pinot Grigio. For many people, Pinot Grigio is an innocuous food pair wine that can compliment a number of situations. The problem is, the low acidity, neutral palate, excludes this varietal from a lot pairings where it’s character might shine. Pinot Grigio doesn’t make bad wine, but for excitement, it’s not going to be the predominate player. However, that being said, in the areas where Pinot Grigio shines, it can be a unique, subtle, and amazingly interesting wine. In mass produced quantities it can lose a lot of character quickly. In both cases it’s meant to be consumed young.
Can 2010 i Vigneti di Albino Armani Pinot Grigio do a solid interpretation, or is it just to ethereal.
Sight: A fairly deep uniform gold, edge to edge.
Smell: It’s very clean, with an almost wet slate like smell. There are various layers of lemon, pear, stonefruit, and orange aromas that predominate. None are particularly leading, or in the background. There’s a pleasantly surprising edge of coconut.
Sip: The acidity starts off moderately, and then fades fast behind a heavy body. There’s a bitter lemon cream flavor, that laces with unripe stone fruit, and crisp green apple skin. A very slight minerality exists. It gets more and more pear tinged as it lingers. [A.B.V 12.5%]
Savor: It nearly disappears completely. The only reminder is a very light pear and minerals. Both vanish within a few seconds.
2010 i Vigneti di Albino Armani Pinot Grigio is like a warm up magic show, first it’s there, then it’s not. The flavors are all fine and pleasant, with the nose even beguiling thoughts of slightly deeper complexity. It’s just not though, it’s a simple wine meant to be consumed soon, with little though. It has a pleasant mouth feel, and it’s fairly neutral, but fair from an exciting choice. The finish pushes the boundary on short and subtle. For those looking for a more traditional Pinot Grigio, 2010 i Vigneti di Albino Armani Pinot Grigio is a reasonable choice, but for people used to drinking larger, edgier white wines this is an easy skip.
Verdict: Hi I’m Pinot Grigio, and I’ve run out of things to say already.
Delle Venezie, Italy (IGT, Indicazione Geografica Tipica)
Price: $7.99
P.S. It’s worth noting this is an Alfio Moriconi Selection. Given this is the 3rd wine from Moriconi’s selection that has failed to excite, it’s becoming apparent that Alfio Moriconi and I looking for some very different characteristics from our white wines.