Mercer Estates wines sampled at lunch included the Pinot Gris (one of the best selling wines in Washington), the Merlot (absolutely my favorite of the Mercer Estates wines with its mouth filling, rich flavor, incredible balance, and pure elegance of fruit) and Cabernet Sauvignon. "This Gone Fishin wine label is great!" MORE >>

From a blend of various vineyard sources and regions within the Willamette and Rogue Valleys in Oregon, this Pinot Gris varietal does well in this place. Very pale coloring, more like that of an Italian Pinot Grigio, with aromas of pear and honeydew melon and flavors of honeysuckle and spice. MORE >>

The other night we opened a bottle of the 2007 Weinhof Scheu Grauer Burgunder Kabinett Trocken , $16, Savio Soares Selections, a wine made from grapes perhaps better known to most of us as Pinot Gris. Like the screw cap, I'm sure this is meant for young-drinking wines, not the cellar-worthy stuff. This thing is great, I think. MORE >>

In the spring of 2008 I learned that the winemaking prodigy behind Pax Wine Cellars, monsieur Pax Mahle, was leaving the eponymously named venture and striking out on his own, once again. and a 2006 Sonoma Coast Syrah Prices range from $32 to $45, about 30% less than Pax Wine Cellars. Rumor had it that disagreements with co-owner(?) MORE >>

Winemaker's notes: Producer Background: Hugel owns a 65-acre estate planted largely to Riesling and Gewürztraminer, with small plots of Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir. The following spring, the wine is lightly filtered before bottling, whereupon the wines are aged in Hugel’s cellars until release MORE >>