Review: Cline Cellars Estate Pinot Gris

One of the principles I try to adhere to is the idea of putting aside preconceptions and prejudices I may have about a wine and letting the wine speak for itself. It’s not as easy to do as you would think. The more you get into wine, the more expectations you develop that influence your perception of a wine. This is a wine that once again proves to me the importance of this principle.

The reason I say that is if I were shopping for wine I generally wouldn’t select a pinot gris from California. My approach to selecting wine when I shop tends to be begin with selecting the type I want (e.g., crisp white, medium-bodied red, Rhone blend, pinot gris, etc.) and then narrowing my choices based on regions I know do that type of wine well. If I had decided I wanted a domestic pinot gris, I typically would focus in on wines from Oregon or Washington state. I wouldn’t have even considered California and would have missed out on this wonderful wine.

That’s not to say there isn’t plenty of good pinot gris from California, but my experiences have cultivated a prejudice in my thinking to make me expect I would be more likely to find a pinot gris I like from Oregon or Washington than from California.

Now that I’ve tasted this wine, my perceptions have changed and my selection process will change. Next time I’m shopping for a pinot gris, I will think, “Oh, I liked that one from Cline.”

The Cline Cellars Estate Pinot Gris comes from the Sonoma Coast appellation. It’s fermented at low temperatures to preserve the freshness of the fruit in the wine and is aged without oak — again to preserve the freshness.

The nose is soft and refreshing, with pear, mandarin orange, hay and wet stone aromas. It is super bright and lively on the palate, delivering tangy lemon, orange and pear flavors that are well balanced and very cooling on the mid-palate and finish. The acidity is good. The mouthfeel is nice, with a touch of creaminess. The finish is long and delicious.

I’d say yes to this pinot gris any day.

Wine: Cline Cellars, Estate Pinot Gris
Varieties: Pinot gris
Vintage: 2018
Alcohol: 13.5%
Rating: 90
Average price: $13.00
Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.