Pinot Gris is one of the seldom seen, when speaking of US wine grape varieties. Other than a small group of producers in Oregon and minor plantings in the Napa Valley and Monterey, there isn’t substantial vineyard acreage of Pinot Gris in the United States. That makes the Rogue Valley downright exceptional, since Pinot Gris ranked third in planted acreage here, according to the Oregon Vineyard and Winery Report released in September 2018. With 517 planted acres, it comes in behind Pinot Noir (1,462 acres) and Cabernet Sauvignon (528 acres) but ahead of Syrah and Chardonnay.

Pinot Gris is also interesting because the wine is made in two distinct styles: Alsatian and Italian. Pinot Gris from Alsace (a region in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland) tends to weighty richness. The Italian varietal known as Pinot Grigio is dry, acidic and racy.

Wine Scene recently spoke to grower/co-owner Al Silbowitz of Grizzly Peak Winery and with winemaker Ashley Campanella of EdenVale Winery about their versions of this varietal and its popularity.

As a winegrower, Silbowitz sees Pinot Gris as a logical choice for the Rogue Valley’s cool climate. “It was something you could add to the inventory that wasn’t so common. When we got to planting the whites I thought of Pinot Gris because people said good things about it.” Silbowitz characterizes some of his varieties, particularly Roussanne and Marsanne, as “problem children” due to ripening or fermentation issues. In contrast, he says, “Pinot Gris has been cheerfully, bravely present. From the first harvest, it matured quickly into production, the vine was fairly generous (in terms of yield), the ripening went without a hitch and it ripened earlier in the season so there was less predation. I liked all of those features.”

As a winemaker, Ashley Campanella sees the popularity of the grape in terms of the quality of its wine. “It may be popular because it is a wonderful classic that most people understand and know what to expect when drinking. The Rogue Valley does produce wonderful whites but some of the varietals such as Viognier, Marsanne or Roussanne can be a little more intimidating. Overall, Pinot Gris tends to be a light, refreshing white with good acidity that pairs well with a wide array of food. This is a safe selection for most people. Pinot Gris also tends to be offered at a reasonable price point.”

For EdenVale, Campanella aims for a wine that falls to the Alsatian end of the spectrum, “a Pinot Gris with a little more of a weighty texture and complexity, exhibiting flavors of peach, grapefruit, orange blossoms, lemon zest with a slight hint of minerality and bright acidity.” She adds, “I do think that the Rogue Valley is capable of producing a range of Pinot Gris styles from the light and crisp Italian to the more rich and serious Alsatian. One of my favorite wine events that we hosted was a Pinot Gris tasting back in the early 2000’s. Local wineries and local distribution companies paired up to show off all of the Pinot Gris they carried or produced. You walked through the gardens and sampled Pinot Gris, not only from the Rogue Valley, but from all over the United States, Italy and France. It was such an in depth look at all of the expressions that Pinot Gris is capable of achieving.”

Silbowitz speaks of the Grizzly Peak Pinot Gris as a wine with subtle flavors that lends itself to experimentation. The goal is, “the nicest, best wine that the grape will produce in this area whatever that is. That’s why we’ve experimented with both fermentation and aging in oak and steel and a combination of the two. We even did one entire fermentation outside. It snowed that year and it was very cold and we did a very slow fermentation. We had our stainless steel tank outside and the snow was sitting on top.” What he sees as a constant is a wine less structured than Chardonnay but with more subtlety and complexity. With Pinot Gris, he says, “there’s another level at which you can play.”

©Southern Oregon Wine Scene – from the Summer 2019 issue