Torii Mor 2009 Pinot Gris: Sadly, Just Ok

So last week I reviewed the Torii Mor Pinot Noir from the Willamette Valley of Oregon, a wine that I love. Coupled with the fact that the wine is solid, the bottle has special significance because it was given to me by Margie Olson herself, the owner of Torii Mor and a very sweet and lovely woman. On this same occasion she gave me a bottle of the winery's Pinot Gris, which made me very excited because I adore Oregon Pinot Gris.

Unfortunately, this bottle fell short of expectation.

If you want to know more about Torii Mor and Oregon, please check out my post on their Pinot Noir, where I go into detail. Given that I've already been to that rodeo, I figured I'd talk about Pinot Gris or Pinot Grigio, as it's also known.


To start, a couple basics on the grape:
1. It's a clone of the ever mutating Pinot Noir (read=it too, is a pain in arse to grow)
2. Given #1, it makes sense that Pinot Grigio is actually not a green grape, but a grey-blue grape
3. Pinot = Pinecone in French. Wines derived from Pinot Noir are from clusters of grapes that look like pinecones.Simple, no?
4. Gris = French for grey (see point 2)
5. Grigio = Italian for grey (see point 2, again)
6. Pinot Gris morphed from Pinot Noir in its native home of Burgundy. It was first discussed in the Middle Ages. Given its temperamental nature, it was abandoned in Burgundy and in Champagne (where it was part of the blend for bubbly) for the heartier Chardonnay.

As a side note, I'm not sure why they decided that Pinot Gris/Grigio is made as a white wine. I mean, it's really hard to prevent the juice from touching the skins and picking up color. I guess winemakers want a challenge...

7. I know I already said this, but just to be sure...Pinot Gris and Pinot Grigio are the same grape -- you say potato...I say pohtahtoe (phonetic spelling, of course).

The grape is super-sensitive to where it grows, and depending on where it's made it tastes like a completely different wine. You may be sick of my bullets, but I'm in the mood to keep on with my lists, so here's a little guide:

Alsace, France: Full-bodied, rich, floral, spicy, honeyed, smoky, and oily-textured wine. It jumps out of the glass with its aroma, is unctuous but with decent acid and a beautiful match for food. There's lots of sun in Alsace, and the grapes get ripe and delicious. The most complex and showstopping Pinot Gris in the world, methinks.


Oregon: Kind of like Alsace light, it can be pinkish (per my point above, hard to keep the skin away from the juice) and taste less floral and more like apple and Asian pear. The wine is at least medium-bodied and fruity and full. I'd call it a pretty wine -- aromatic and flavorful but also with decent acid so it's not flabby.


Italy: Mostly from cooler, northern Italy, this wine is lean, to say the least. It's lemony, acidic, crisp, and so mineral-like it's like face-planting in a mountain stream. It can be really thin, sometimes watery, and usually lacks the lush flavors and aromas you're going to find in Alsace and Oregon Pinot Gris. I usually find it to be insipid, crap stuff -- even if it costs $24 like one major brand we may all know. California tries to mimic this style, given its popularity.


Although I love Ramona Singer from the Real Housewives of New York and her hilarious Pinot Grigio habit, I gotta say I'm not a fan of watery, acidic, lemon juice. I prefer Pinot Gris to Pinot Grigio.

So, I was pumped for the Torii Mor Pinot Gris, given how much I loved their Pinot Noir. How surprised was I when I discovered that this wine was made in the Pinot Grigio style? Very surprised, and less than happy. Here's the rundown:

The Wine: Torii Mor Pinot Gris
Where It's From: Willamette Valley, Oregon
The Grapes: 100% Pinot Gris
Vintage: 2009
Price: $16.00

Color: Brassy but nearly white and very reflective, the color gave me pause. Most Oregon Pinot Gris that I like is saturated in color -- like straw or brass. This was much lighter than normal and way too light to have the kind of flavor I was expecting. Uh-oh.

Smell: Similar to Italian Pinot Grigio, there wasn't much but a slight white flower and lemon-lime smell. There was none of the honeysuckle, apple, or pear that I'd want or expect from a Pinot Gris. More evidence leading to a not-so-great conclusion. Where's the beef?

Taste: More like a lower quality un-oaked Chardonnay than Pinot Gris, there was a brief sensation of acid, mineral and lemon-lime with a touch of green apple, but I'd say what was in this bottle was just white wine. Could have been a $7 white blend for its lack of distinction and character. I expect more from Oregon and certainly more from a producer of fine Pinot Noir.

Food: I guess if you like Pinot Grigio from Italy, you would just chill this sucker down and sip it before a meal or have it with a salad.

Drink or Down the Sink?: Meh. Not great, not horrible. For $16 you can do a lot better. Torii Mor should take a page from some other great Pinot Gris producers in the area. In it's quest to be differentiated, it's created a style that is definitely un-Oregonian, and, to my palate, boring and blah.