2011 King Estate Oregon Pinot Gris

Norm's Tasting Notes By: Norm Bentley North Georgia Wine Advisor normwine@bellsouth.net         2011 King Estate Oregon Pinot Gris #nb-21-13   A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of having lunch at Ray's on the River with one of my old time friends in the wine business, who is a sales manager for a large Atlanta wine and spirits distributor. Ray's is an Atlanta institution, and I am happy to report that the lunch there was as good as ever! I had a bowl of creamy Vidalia onion soup, and some perfectly grilled large shrimp. Everything was delicious! Of course, we had an excellent bottle of wine also. We enjoyed a bottle of 2011 King Estate Pinot Gris, which I have had in the past, but not recently. The wine was as good as the Ray's lunch.   King Estate Oregon wines hail from an area not far from Eugene near the town of Lorane. I have enjoyed several varieties from King Estate, but the Pinot Gris is my favorite. Pinot Gris is a kindred grape to Pinot Grigio, as they both derive their heritage from Pinot Noir. Most Pinot Gris wines tend to be somewhat drier than Pinot Grigio, but they share many taste similarities. The King Estate is a wonderfully fragrant wine with aromas of apricot, peach and honeysuckle. The flavors embrace the presence of peach and melon with an apple-like crisp twist. The finish is long and clean, with just the hint of citrus, as it continues on until the next sip. The alcohol content is a perfect 13%.   This Pinot Gris was great with my grilled shrimp, and I think my friend also enjoyed it with his medium rare yellow fin tuna. This would be a perfect companion to any one of a number of summer salads, such as Cobb or Sante Fe, or it would make a great "Back Porch Sipper".   Score: 91 Price: $14 - $18   Norm Norm’s Tasting Notes can also be accessed at his blog: http://normwine.blogspot.com/ Norm’s Tasting Notes available online at either: http://cumminghome.com/ http://dawsontimes.com/ http://pineisland-eagle.com/ Also on "The Patch" at Oconee and others: oconee.patch.com/ WINE – God’s Proof of his love for humanity