2010 South Coast Winery Sparkling Pinot Grigio

This is the first time on The Blog Wine Cellar that I'm reviewing a wine from the Temecula Valley. However, this is not the only first....! It's the first time I'm reviewing a sparkling Pinot Grigio as well. Now from what I understand this wine was made in the "tank method", where both the primary and secondary fermentation's took place in stainless steel tanks.

The nose is very interesting on this wine because it completely embodies what a crisp Italian Pinot Grigio might smell like. It's full of lemon-lime peel, grapefruit, apple, and pear aromas. There is also an underlining tone of mineral and wet stone.

On the palate this wine is fun, fruity, and has a touch of sweetness on the finish. I get lots of pear and apple flavors and a finish that reminds me of white table grapes. This to me is a "cocktail-style" wine that many wine novices would go goo-goo for, and could be extremely serviceable for a wedding or large dinner party. I really see it as a crowd pleaser.

On the back of the label it states that the wine is finished as a "Brut", but I would caution anyone purchasing this wine that it is not a dry wine. There's actually quite a bit of residual sugar and too me it actually seems quite sweet. It's a complete 180 to the dryness of a "Brut" Champagne from France. As I said before, the wine is fun and fruity and I don't necessarily think the winery intended it to be taken too seriously in the realm of "fine sparkling wine". 82 points

Here's a video from the wine maker:





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