Exactly what you’d expect from an award-winning Pinot Gris from Alsace…
Name: Joseph Cattin Pinot Gris
Vintage: 2017
Producer: Cattin
Region/Country: Appellation Alsace Contrôlée, Alsace, France
Grape Varietal(s): Pinot Gris
Alcohol Level: 14%
Consumed: At home
Recommended By: Picked it off the shelf at the LCBO Vintages section
Cost: $15.95
Bottle Presentation: Classic, pale yellow label
Appearance: Pale gold
Nose: Clean, medium intensity nose, with red apple, apricot, ripe peach, minerals (slate), honey, and a subtle rose note.
Palate: Off-dry, with a full, viscous body, high acidity and high alcohol. Prominent flavours included ripe peach, apricot, honey, chalk, banana, orange rind, saline, and another tinge of roses.
Finish: A long, enjoyable finish of orange rind, saline, and chalk.
Overall Impressions: A very good Pinot Gris that took gold medal honours at the 2019 Concours des Vins d’Alsace de Colmar. This white ticked all the boxes in terms of what you’d expect from an Alsatian Pinot Gris. We could see it improving over time, with some bottle-aged notes emerging and adding to the complexity. It paired very well with grilled pork and apple sauce, as well as garlic roasted potatoes and honeyed carrots. At under $16 CAD, it represents tremendous value for the money.
Rating: 93/100
E-Wine rating: 4/5 (We would purchase two bottles of this white, one to drink now and one to drink in a couple of years)
Value: 5/5