Pale gold color; white peach, pear, flowers on the nose; peach, pear, citrus, apricot on the palate.
Dry; full body for a pinot grigio, crisp, fresh acidity. No oak—100% stainless steel tanks; no malolactic fermentation. This is rich and delicious; great texture in the mouth. If you think of pinot grigio as light fluff wine, this will emphatically change your mind; 13% ABV.
Terlato asserts it is the leading marketer of luxury wines in the United States. The website notes they market “more than 20 percent of wines over $20 and one out of 10 bottles of wine over $14 sold in America. According to Kantar Media, Terlato Wines accounts for 41 percent of all advertising dollars spent among Luxury Wine Brands—the leader in the category. The company represents more than 70 brands, covering the world’s finest wine regions, varietals and styles. The exceptional quality of the Terlato portfolio is underscored by more than 900 90+ reviews form leading wine publications since 2010 — more 90+ ratings than any wine company in the world.”
Terlato owns many wineries, but this effort is a partnership with Mazzoni Wines in Italy, a relationship that now spans two generations and more than 30 years. The Mazzoni website notes: “There’s a reason why Pinot Grigio has become a household name in the U.S.: it’s the ideal grape for producing crisp, fresh, and refreshing white wine with balanced alcohol and bright tropical and citrus fruit aromas and flavors. In Europe, wine lovers have known this for centuries. But in the U.S., it wasn’t until Anthony “Tony” Terlato—the patriarch of the Terlato family—first introduced a Pinot Grigio to American consumers in the late 1970s that the grape variety began to began to explode on the American wine scene.”
Terlato Vineyards Pinot Grigio, Friuli Colli Orientali DOC 2017 is complex, expressive, refreshing, balanced with full body for a pinot grigio. Serious wine, seriously good. Pair with creamy smoked salmon pasta; pan-fried halibut; lemon chicken piccata; white cheese chicken lasagna; pesto chicken; cheese pizza; risotto primavera; light seafood salads such as crab or shrimp/prawn salad; sushi; vegetarian fare. $19-22
Excellent YouTube video on Terlato-pinot grigio story
Mazzoni “Live Like an Italian” website, many entertaining features
