Biltmore Estate: 2014 Pinot Grigio

From one regional wine to another regional wine: Biltmore Estate Pinot Grigio.  The Biltmore Estate is located in Asheville, North Carolina, and was home to the Vanderbilt Family.  It is now a beautiful museum home and a lovely place for a weekend getaway.  Biltmore is one of the most visited wineries in the country.

I have a love/hate relationship with Pinot Grigio.  While I consistently love Pinot Gris, a Pinot Grigio can sometimes be too bland.  Water with too many calories.  But not this one, Biltmore’s winemakers have done a nice job of keeping a fair amount of acidity in the wine.

But let’s start with the nose.  Imagine you’re deep inside one of the many caves in the mountains surrounding Asheville.  Can you smell the musty earth all around you?  Delve deeper into your imagination (I know you can do it, forget about balancing the checkbook for a minute and remember what it’s like to play pretend).  Can you feel the cool, damp rocks?  Maybe if you listen hard enough you can even hear water trickling down the side of the cave. 

Now take a grapefruit out of your back pack. 

Just go with it.

Peel away the skin of the grapefruit.

That’s what this wine smells like.  A heavy dose of minerals and acidity followed by a breath of citrus. 

If you leave the wine open to the air long enough, you might also get a hint of flowers or pears as the air changes its composition.

The flavor is much more complex.  There’s a powerful wash of minerals, followed by a hint of sweetness. 

So “real” wine and “beginning” wine drinkers pay attention!  You’ll both enjoy this wine.  It isn’t so strong as to turn off a novice drinker.  But it has enough complexity to peak the interest of a more seasoned wine aficionado.

Try this with white seafood – shrimp or scallops.  Or drink it without food.  (Something I never do.  I love food.  I love food pairings.  But I’m told wine alone can be a good thing, too…maybe one day I’ll try that.)