Mt. Boucherie Family Estate Winery

Mt. Boucherie- Estate Collection
2010 Pinot Gris
Okanagan Valley, BC CANADA

I think this is the first Canadian wine I've blogged about.  Don't get me wrong, I've had plenty of opportunity, but this seemed like the time to actually get it out on "paper", so to speak.  Funny story:  An email arrived at my work for wine at "discounted prices".  Apparently, some of the labels on these wines were not quite right, perhaps a bit crooked? (personally, I couldn't tell...can you?) so they were being sold at a discount.  A co-worker of mine has family involved in this estate winery, so she had the opportunity to offer these wines at discount prices.   I chose four from the list and here is my review on one of them!

I've had opportunity to try many Pinot gris, (from other countries) but quite frankly, none of them seem to really impress me.  The Canadians seem to have gotten it right because of all the Pinot gris wines I've tried, I like this country's wines the best.  Now, I 'm not biased...just because I'm a Canadian!  It just seems to be that way.  Or....maybe it's just my palate?!

The history of Pinot gris is actually quite fascinating.  Did you know that it was a grape found by accident? It is actually a mutation of the Pinot noir grape.  Pinot noir grapes are a dark purplish-blue, whereas the Pinot gris grapes are more of a pinkish-blue-gray, hence the name Gris (which means "grey" in French).

Researchers determined that Pinot gris has a remarkably similar DNA profile to Pinot noir and that the colour difference is derived from a genetic mutation that occurred centuries ago. The leaves and the vines of both grapes are so similar that the coloration is the only aspect that differentiates the two.  Sometimes, you may see this in the stores as Pinot Grigio, the name for the grape in Italy.



Pinot Noir



Pinot Gris


 



 














I really enjoyed this wine!  It was light and fruity; not overly acidic, with lots of baked pear on the nose. When I tasted, I continued to get all that pear in my mouth along with a hint of spice.  Think a pear pie with cinnamon!  How could anyone not like that? It drank well on its own, but it was also stellar with my baked salmon with dill sauce, accompanied by penne pasta and sauteed green beans. 

As I said earlier, I've enjoyed the Canadian Pinot gris' I have tasted.  If you have a chance, pick up ANY of the Okanagan Valley Pinot gris, and give them a try! I'd love to hear what you think!