Although I have yet to receive my invitation to visit and taste Bill Harlan's grand cru portfolio, I still wanted to explore the differences of single-vineyard and blended wines. If any from Harlan is reading, I will accept said invitation! The simplest way to do so was to taste not a complex blend like those three widely marketed wines I listed above, but to taste a wine blended with only two grapes. I wanted to determine if a single-vineyard or blended wine is better. Obviously, differences would be highly specific to individual wines. For this endeavor, I selected two wines from Canyon Wind Cellars; a single-vineyard pinot grigio from the Cliffside Vineyard and a blend of 60% pinot grigio from the same vineyard and 40% chardonnay from the nearby Riverside Vineyard. I had my wife pour the two wines and I tasted them blind to determine the differences between these two similar yet different wines. I didn't want to be influenced by my preconceived ideas about what the wines *should* taste like, but the varietal characteristics were quite apparent and I was able to easily identify which glass contained chardonnay and which contained only pinot grigio. In this case, I preferred the lovely aromatics and crisp acidity of the pinot grigio to the blend, but my wife tried them both later and preferred the blend. Get them both and see which you prefer!
Exceptionally light in color and almost clear on the rim, this wine is beautifully aromatic with scents of melon, apricot, citrus and hints of salt and minerals. The refreshingly crisp palate is redolent of kaffir lime and honeydew melon. As I tasted, I knew it had to be the pinot grigio and wanted to pair it with prosciutto-wrapped melon. I'm not usually a fan of pinot grigio, but this one I do like.12.9% abv Sample $15. Good (tasted 5/18/11)
2010 Canyon Wind Cellars, 47-Ten, Grand Valley AVA, Colorado
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