Miraflores Winery
2008 Sierra Foothills Pinot Grigio ($16)
A few weeks ago in this space, I wrote about how difficult it is to find consistently memorable riesling at wineries in the Sierra foothills.
The exception is Madroña Vineyards just outside Placerville, which has the advantage of being 3,000 feet up the sunset slope of the Sierra, giving it the sort of cool climate in which riesling thrives.
Pinot grigio, sometimes called pinot gris, is another green grape that shows best in a cool climate.
Another El Dorado County winery – Miraflores, off Sly Park Road southeast of Placerville – has found a vineyard that is yielding pinot grigios of unusual substance, their smells floral, their flavors running to apples, melons and various tropical fruits, their structure unusually solid for the varietal yet still inviting.
That would be Indian Rock Vineyard along Pennsylvania Gulch Road outside Murphys in Calaveras County. There, Miraflores winemaker Marco Cappelli has found that pinot grigio cultivated in a low, cool bowl of deep alluvial soils produces just the sort of wine he seeks in the variety – distinctive fruit, high natural acidity, a vein of minerality. (Cappelli also is the winemaker for Indian Rock Vineyards, where he's also made pinot grigio.)
At Miraflores, Cappelli presses whole clusters of grapes without first stripping them from their stems, a technique credited with enhancing a wine's body without intensifying its tannin, while also bolstering flavors. For complexity and build, he also ages his pinot grigio for several months on the lees – dead yeast cells, grape seeds, torn skins and other sediment that settles on the bottom of fermentation vessels, in this instance stainless-steel tanks.
The result is pinot grigios that are unusually vital, spicy and layered yet balanced and refreshing. The 2007 – expected to be sold out soon – is being succeeded by a 2008 that is a bit more substantive all the way around, from a more assertive smell to a more possessive finish.
By the numbers: 14.1 percent alcohol, 230 cases, $16.
Context: We found the 2008 a splendid companion for chicken enchiladas that aren't too heavy on the Monterey Jack but are finished with a vibrant tomatillo and green-chili sauce. Cappelli recommends the wine with grilled chicken or shrimp, barbecued oysters and chicken curry.
Availability: Aside from some foothills restaurants, it's available solely at the winery.
More information: Go to www. sacwineregion.com or visit Miraflores Winery, 2120 Four Springs Trail, Placerville, open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday through Sunday, or by appointment, (530) 647-8505.
Longtime wine critic and competition judge Mike Dunne continues his relationship with The Bee as a contributing columnist to the Food & Wine section and www.sacwineregion.com. His wine selections are based solely on open and blind tastings, judging at competitions, and visits to wine regions. Reach him at mikedunne@winegigs.com.
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