I have one more wine to review for my Pinot Grigio series, this one from Motos Liberty.  Now to be clear, the past six Pinot Grigio/Gris reviews were all from a blind tasting, but this one was not.  I received this bottle as a sample a couple days after I did the blind tasting.  Rather than leave it sitting on the shelf until I had enough PG for another blind tasting, I decided to go ahead and taste it so it could be part of this series, even if not tasted blind.

Motos Liberty is a new wine brand from a brand spanking new wine company, Panther Rock Wine Company.  But the owners of the company aren’t a new name to wine, they are the fourth generation of descendants of the Franzia family that first produced wine in the US in 1896.  Ironically, while that name probably sounds very familiar to you, the Franzia family has no relationship to the Franzia brand of boxed wines.  There are thirteen descendants of the Franzia family who share ownership of Motos Liberty, three of whom are managing partners: Joey, Damon and Brian Franzia.

So, how does this new wine stack up?  Good question.

I had a little fun smelling this wine.  It wasn’t so much a “wow” moment as much as a “there’s something interesting there, but I can’t put my finger on it” moment.  There is definitely a strong pear aroma, like a fresh cut Bartlett, but there’s a cooling aroma underneath that like a combination of cucumber and wet iron.  I also get a hint of honeysuckle.  There’s definitely a lot more going on here than I expected.  With all of that said, it doesn’t scream “Pinot Grigio” to me.

The palate was good, but not as interesting as the nose.  My first taste actually disappointed me as it seemed slightly flabby (i.e. lacking acidity), the acid came through a little better on subsequent tastes, but I still think it’s a touch shy.  Similar to the aromas, pear is the dominate flavor on the palate, where I also get a bit of apple, but not much more.

For the price, it’s a decent wine, although I wish the acidity were slightly more crisp.  But if you love pears, you’ll probably dig this wine.

Wine: Motos Liberty
Variety: Pinot Grigio
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol: 13.5%

Rating: 84
Price: $8.99