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Wine Recommendation
Chatter Creek Winery
2005 Pinot Gris(Columbia Valley)
Winemaker Gordy Rawson has been making Pinot Gris for a few years now, and although the grape still has a low profile in Washington state, he is one of a handful of people pioneering a distinctive Washington style, less fleshy than Oregon, less fat than California, more sappy than Italian Pinot Grigio.
It starts in the vineyard of course, and he sources his fruit from Minick, in the Yakima Valley, and Evergreen; both vineyards are at 1300 feet and ripen the grapes to perfection. Timing the picking is an art of its own; “I’ve got a three day window from Macintosh apple to apricot juice,” Rawson explains. He keeps things clean and fresh, using no acidification or malolactic fermentation, and this lovely, lively wine shows mixed melon, green apple and light pineapple flavors, nicely melded and crisp as can be.
Reviewed August 6, 2006 by Paul Gregutt.
Other reviewed wines from Chatter Creek Winery
The Wine
Winery: Chatter Creek Winery |
The Reviewer
Paul Gregutt
Paul Gregutt values these things in wine above all: typicity, specificity, clarity, elegance, polish, depth and balance. He recognizes that there are genuine flaws in some wines, and it is important to know and identify them. Wines that are too ripe, too oaky or alcoholic to the point where nuance and detail are obliterated are not going to win his praise. Price is a factor in his evaluation of any wine; a good $8 wine is much harder to make than a good $80 wine. |