So…
Kara made some amazing Macaroni and Cheese tonight, and I just happened to have another wine sample to review, so I figured I’d pair the two.
Check out the wine…
Castello di Amorosa 2012 Mendocino County Pinot Grigio
And the Mac and Cheese…
Kara used Gruyere and Cheddar in this bad boy. Yum!
The Castello di Amorosa 2012 Mendocino County Pinot Grigio consists of 100% Stainless Steel Tank-Aged Pinot Grigio. It comes in at 14.5% alcohol, and is available at the winery (as well as in their extensive online store) for $21.
Color: Very pale yellow. Think of the color of hay.
Nose: Massive amounts of honeysuckle (maybe due to the 3.8 g/L of residual sugar) create a nice backdrop for the green apple and honeydew fruits. The nose isn’t overly sweet. There are plenty of wet rocks to balance everything out.
Taste: There is a surprisingly nice petrol note to this wine which provides for a very fun, viscous mouthfeel. As with most Pinot Grigios, there is a brightly acidic backbone to this wine that delivers a variety of citrus fruit flavors of lemon and lime zest. There is a nice combination of honey and minerality at play here too.
Score: I get it. Castello di Amorosa makes wines consisting of mainly Italian varieties of grapes, and no self-respecting “Italian” winery would ever label a bottle as “Pinot Gris”, but… This is not one of those ordinary, 20-dollar, flat-lemon-lime-soda-tasting, Italian Pinot Grigios that have been taking over your local super market in recent years. This drinks like one of those rich, subtle, and intriguing Oregonian Pinot Gris that I have been grooving on in recent months. Stylistically, these guys have done everything right with the grape they call the “Grey Pine”. At 87+ points, you may want to introduce this Pinot Grigio to your favorite housewife.
With the Food: Kara’s Mac n’ Cheese is killer! Creamy. Cheesy. Zesty. And the combination of the soft pasta and the crunchy bread crumbs makes it a textural sensation. When paired with the Pinot Grigio the flavor of the dish transforms to that of a pear, walnut, and gorgonzola pizza. Fantastic!
Stay Rad,
Jeff
What’s your favorite Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio? Leave a comment, and tell us about it.
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