Corte alla Flora Pino Grigio 2015

I snuck out of work on Black Friday (it’s okay, I’m the boss) to do a wine tasting at one of my favorite local wine shops.  The day was going slow at my office, and the first tasting of the day at the wine shop was slow, too.  I had a fabulous one on one tasting with the owner.

Sneaking out of work for wine tastings isn’t a normal activity for me.  Honest.  And it’s really a research mission.  After all, I have a blog to write and picking up bottles at the grocery store gets boring after a while.

This was the first wine on the tasting sheet for the day and it was fabulous. 

Right away, the nose is filled with floral flavors and citrus.  It reminded me more of a Pinot Gris off the nose.  I didn’t detect the mineral flavors I’m used to with a Pinot Grigio.

Pinot Grigio is a strange choice for this time of year.  Normally, I think of this varietal as a summer wine – light and perfect for hot weather.  I may be in Georgia, but the temps are finally dropping.  Where’s the heavy reds?

The flavor of the Pinot Grigio is completely unexpected.  It’s a heavier flavor than I expected and it has a hint of sweetness I really like.  That mineral flavor is there, too, at the very end.  Not at all overwhelming, but enough there to remind me I really am drinking a Pinot Grigio.

Now here’s my disclaimer.  If you LOVE a “normal,” grocery store Pinot Grigio.  You probably won’t like this.  Or at least you won’t think it tastes like a Pinot Grigio. 

However, if you want something unique and tasty, try this.  It might be difficult to find.  Like I mentioned, I found it at a small, specialty wine shop.  (Talk of the Table in The Collection Forsyth if you’re in the North Atlanta area.)  At $17.99, it’s worth every penny.