Wine Reviews
2001 Pinot Gris
A defiant grape: Pinot gris
From: Star Tribune, July 10, 2003
Text by: Tim Teichgraeber
In French parlance, grapes are not red or white, but noir or blanc, black or white, as if they had been shot through the 16mm lens of Jean-Luc Goddard. There's only one that defies classification: pinot gris.
Pinot gris (gris is the French word for gray; in Italian, it's pinot grigio) is a white grape with a frosty pink tint. It is believed to be a mutation of the pinot noir grape that spontaneously appeared in Burgundy. Today it's grown all over the world - in Alsace, New Zealand, Oregon, Italy and California.
Italian versions can be light and citrusy, but pinot gris also can be rich, earthy and complicated, like a creamy farmhouse cheese, while at the same time expressing that little bit of red grape flavor or color that betrays its red-grape ancestry.
King Estate 2001 Pinot Gris Oregon ($15). This one really hits the mark. A medium-bodied white with fresh melon, mineral, pear and peach flavors and just a hint of nutmeg flavor from short oak seasoning. You'll find yourself reaching for another glass.
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From: Wine & Spirits, April 2003
90 Exceptional
King Estate
2001 Oregon Pinot Gris $15
Year in and year out King Estate has made one of the more honest gris in the Willamette, and this 2001 does not disappoint. Fruit leads, fruit spreads across the mouth, and a burst of fruit flavors with surprising persistence give the wine length and a pleasing structure. With its clean, pure delineation, if there were a crack between the flavors of pear and peach, this wine would slip through it.
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MISC NEWSPAPERS 1
Northwest offers variety of quality pinot gris wines
From: Misc. Newspapers, April 2003
Text by: Frank Sutherland
While pinot grigio (made in Italy) continues to rise in popularity, new wine drinkers might not realize that the same wine is call pinot gris in other countries. "Gris" or "grigio" means gray, referring to the pinot grapes that come in different colors.
While the wines are made from the same grape, they can be different in style.
For example, Italy's versions tend to be pale and delicate, while Oregon's wines can be gold colored and more full-bodied.
Residents of the American Northwest swear by their pinot gris as a companion for salmon, fish and other seafood. Making a match is not always that easy.
Here are four the wine-tasting group recommends from the Northwest, all more full-bodied than the Italian version:
- 2001 King Estate Pinot Gris at $15.99
- 2000 Rex Hill Pinot Gris at $17.99
- 2001 Big Fire Pinot Gris at $15.99
- 2001 Ponzi Pinot Gris at $14.99
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From: S. Lake Tahoe Tribune, January 15, 2003
Text by: The Wine Couple - Roger and Colleen Stockton
Our picks of the month:
King Estate 2001, Oregon Pinot Gris: Vibrant white wine with notes of peach, passion fruit, apple, and a hint of floral. Great balance and acidity.
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From: San Diego Union Tribune, January 15, 2003
Text by: Robert Whitley
Wine Finds
King Estate 2001 Pinot Gris, Oregon ($15) - This beautiful grape variety performs well around the world, though its fame and popularity is most closely associated with Italy (pinot grigio). Oregon pinot gris is quite distinct from its Italian or French cousins, but no less soothing to the soul. King Estate's medium-bodied 2001 vintage is superb, exhibiting aromas of stone fruits, citrus, and pear with floral notes in the background. I prefer this bottling to King Estate's 2001 Reserve Pinot Gris ($20).
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MISC NEWSPAPERS 2
From: Misc. Newspapers, January 9, 2003
Text by: Robert Whitley
WINE FINDS
Exceptional
King Estate 2001 Pinot Gris, Oregon ($15) -- This beautiful grape variety performs well around the world, though its fame and popularity is most closely associated with Italy (pinot grigio). Oregon pinot gris is quite distinct from its Italian or French cousins, but no less soothing to the soul. King Estate's medium-bodied 2001 vintage is superb, exhibiting aromas of stone fruits, citrus and pear with floral notes in the background.
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From: Northwest Palate, January/February 2003
New Release Wine Reviews
Recommended
King Estate
2001 Pinot Gris, OR $15
Vanilla, light talc, and butterscotch in the nose. Well-balanced, focused flavors of ripe pear, with a clean, persistent finish. Serve with wine-and-fennel-steamed clams.
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From: Portland Magazine, Winter 2002
King Estate 2001 Pinot Gris Life's best pleasures are usually its least complicated. Sure, tropical fruits abound in this enjoyable Pinot Gris, but there's a lot to be said for the pleasurable ease of apple, tangerine, orange blossom and grapefruit combined in one glass of wine. Quintessential food wine. Try with dinner salads, soft cheese selections or shellfish. Also nice with pork, poultry or sushi. $15
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From: Restaurant Wine, Issue #92
PINOT GRIS - High Priced:
$97 - $160/case ($12.10-$20/btl. full retail)
KING ESTATE, 2001 OREGON, $136 ($16)
Fine quality and value. This is a supple, fruity, full bodied Pinot Gris, with distinct, restrained character (apple, honeysuckle, orange blossom, grapefruit), and excellent balance. Medium long finish. Unwooded. [2003-2004]
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From: Portland Magazine, Spring 2003
King Estate 2001 Pinot Gris Life's greatest pleasures are usually its least complicated. Sure, tropical fruits abound in this enjoyable Pinot Gris, but there's a lot to be said for the pleasurable ease of apple, tangerine, orange blossom and grapefruit combined in one glass of wine. Quintessential food wine. Try with dinner salads, soft cheese selections or shellfish. Also nice with pork, poultry or sushi.
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