Eyrie The Eyrie Pinot Gris 2021
-
Robert
Parker -
Wine
Enthusiast -
Jeb
Dunnuck -
James
Suckling
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
This Pinot gris is a liquid manifesto. We believe that Pinot gris has all the ability of Pinot noir to reflect the nuances of site, craft, and vine age, and this wine is our statement of proof. The grapes come from the first Pinot gris vines planted in the New World, and we’ve given special attention in order to pay homage to these old vines. The wine is light gold in color, with crunchy apple and a touch of five spice coming through on the front palate. A rich mid palate balances creamy ripe pear and floral tones, and leads to a lengthy, polished finish.
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2021 Pinot Gris The Eyrie, from the original plantings, is arresting and exotic! It's bursting with generous aromas of orange oil, white peaches and apricot, lemongrass and musky perfume, shifting to reveal honeyed undertones as it opens in the glass. Light-bodied, pleasingly grippy and concentrated, it offers vibrant acidity and a long, layered finish.
-
Wine Enthusiast
When aromas of a tangy lemon glaze on an orange olive-oil cake rise from the glass, I’m all in. This is not your typical Pinot Gris: It has body and searing acidity to accompany flavors of apricots, cardamom and candied orange peels that are positively Condrieu-like.
-
Jeb Dunnuck
Taking on a touch more straw pigment, the 2021 Pinot Gris The Eyrie is savory and ripe with aromatics including a touch of flint, wet stone, melon, and Meyer lemon zest. Full-bodied, with great intensity and lots of salinity, it has a brilliant core of fruit and a long finish.
-
James Suckling
This is attractive with distinct aromas of yuzu sorbet, white currants with hints of citrus blossom, young walnuts and crushed stones. Very textural and smooth with medium to full body and tight tension of ripe citrus and stone fruit in the middle. At the same time, it shows delicacy and floral fragrance. Very attractive. Drink or hold.
Showing a unique rosy, purplish hue upon full ripeness, this “white” variety is actually born out of a mutation of Pinot Noir. The grape boasts two versions of its name, as well as two generally distinct styles. In Italy, Pinot Grigio achieves most success in the mountainous regions of Trentino and Alto Adige as well as in the neighboring Friuli—all in Italy’s northeast. France's Alsace and Oregon's Willamette Valley produce some of the world's most well-regarded Pinot Gris wine. California produces both styles with success.
Where Does Pinot Gris / Pinot Grigio Come From?
Pinot Gris is originally from France, and it is technically not a variety but a clone of Pinot Noir. In Italy it’s called Pinot Grigio (Italian for gray), and it is widely planted in northern and NE Italy. Pinot Gris is also grown around the globe, most notably in Oregon, California, and New Zealand. No matter where it’s made or what it’s called, Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio produces many exciting styles.
Tasting Notes for Pinot Grigio
Pinot Grigio is a dry, white wine naturally low in acidity. Pinot Grigio wines showcase signature flavors and aromas of stone fruit, citrus, honeysuckle, pear and almond. Alsatian styles are refreshing, expressive, aromatic (think rose and honey), smooth, full-bodied and richly textured and sometimes relatively higher in alcohol compared to their Italian counterpart. As Pinot Grigio in Italy, the style is often light and charming. The focus here is usually to produce a crisp, refreshing, lighter style of wine. While there are regional differences of Pinot Grigio, the typical profile includes lemon, lime and subtle minerality.
Pinot Grigio Food Pairings
The viscosity of a typical Alsatian Pinot Gris allows it to fit in harmoniously with the region's rich foods like pork, charcuterie and foie gras. Pinot Grigio, on the other hand, with its citrusy freshness, works well as an aperitif wine or with seafood and subtle chicken dishes.
Sommelier Secrets
Given the pinkish color of its berries and aromatic potential if cared for to fully ripen, the Pinot Grigio variety is actually one that is commonly used to make "orange wines." An orange wine is a white wine made in the red wine method, i.e. with fermentation on its skins. This process leads to a wine with more ephemeral aromas, complexity on the palate and a pleasant, light orange hue.
Home of the first Pinot noir vineyard of the Willamette Valley, planted by David Lett of Eyrie Vineyard in 1966, today the Dundee Hills AVA remains the most densely planted AVA in the valley (and state). To its north sits the Chehalem Valley and to its south, runs the Willamette River. Within the region’s 12,500 acres, about 1,700 are planted to vine on predominantly basalt-based, volcanic, Jory soil.