Pale straw color; citrus, apricot, nectarine on the nose; nectarine, green apple, pear on the palate.
This is exceptionally clean and crisp with good acidity (3.43 pH); tasty, too, should play well with food. Blend of 90% pinot grigio, 5% gewürztraminer, 2% riesling, 3% other whites. While California pinot grigio clearly dominates, the blending grapes add nice nuances. Very, very easy drinker. This does not proclaim “wine!” in the mouth, rather “this delicious, fun liquid.” Wine drinkers will appreciate its nuanced flavors, but this also will go down well with people who are reluctant wine imbibers. The subtleness is spot-on feature of this Edna Valley creation.
The Edna Valley and the Edna Valley Vineyard is located halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles, just five miles from the Pacific Ocean, just south of Paso Robles AVA and north of Santa Barbara AVA. The Edna Valley AVA (part of San Luis Obispo County) and Edna Valley Vineyard lay claim to being the “jewel” of the California Central Coast greater AVA. We will let the AVAs engage in battle of the boasts while we enjoy the quality of the wines.
The valley is roughly bounded by Lake Lopez to the south and Islay Hill to the north and the Santa Lucia Mountains to the west (with the cooling Pacific Ocean breezes immediately west past that). Edna Valley gained AVA recognition in 1982.
Jack Niven founded Edna Valley with a focus on chardonnay in the 1980s. The vineyard-winery operation can claim roots to the California missions era of the 1700s—as plausibly do so many California vineyards.
Edna Valley Vineyard California Pinot Grigio 2016 is easy drinking, fun, go-to summer wine that also plays well with food. Nice effort that will appeal to wide range of wine drinkers, including reluctant wine drinkers. $15
