Coppola Rosso & Bianco Pinot Grigio 2016

The Coppola Rosso & Bianco Pinot Grigio 2016 is 86% Pinot Grigio and 14% Chardonnay, the Chardonnay is sourced from the Central Coast AVA and while Coppola does not say where the Pinot Grigio for 2016 is farmed, it has in the past and the 2017 vintage been taken from Monterey in the Central Coast AVA and Clarksburg in the Central Valley AVA, which would explain the California designation for the origin of the fruit. If your Italian is exceptionally bad Rosso & Bianco translates to “Red & White” and this label is intended as an homage to his grandfather who was a basement winemaker (had grapes shipped in from California)  and the Old School Italian/American lifestyle of having a Red or White wine with every meal. Here is a Wine Fun Fact: the Pinot Grigio grape is a mutation of the Pinot Noir grape and is actually a dark-colored grape that can get fairly purple. The reason the wine is not Red is that the grape skins (that is where the color of the wine comes from) are removed immediately after the grapes are crushed. This Pinot Grigio was fermented and aged in stainless steel tanks and the alcohol content is 13%.

The color is a clear, shiny, wheat yellow. The nose is pretty, lemon, apple, peach, pear, melon, a little citrus hard candy, and lightly floral. This is a medium-bodied full flavored Pinot Grigio with well-balanced acidity. Italian Pinot Grigio can be on the acidic side since as an Italian wine it is produced to go with the meal and the food will balance the acidity. Here they know you are an American and while you may have this with the meal, you are probably just drinking it, so the acidity is adjusted accordingly. There is a very pleasing well-rounded mouthfeel and the wine tastes of smooth lemon-lime, ripe peach, juice apple, and pear. The mid-palate adds a touch of vanilla cream, light spice, and melon. The acidity gives this Pinot Grigio a bright, alive flavor profile. The finish mirrors the body of the wine and never goes away.

The Coppola Rosso & Bianco Pinot Grigio 2016 is a very easy wine to do a write-up on, it just tastes good. Put a nice chill on the bottle, maybe better yet put it in an ice bucket, the flavors really sparkle when cooled down. This California-style Pinot Grigio, not Italian, the flavors are ripe and well-rounded, the acidity lets the flavors unfold, but doesn’t go overboard. I found the Coppola Rosso & Bianco Pinot Grigio 2016 for about 10 bucks less than the leading Italian Pinot Grigio and in my opinion this wine makes more sense for the American lifestyle.