Pinot Grigio has a reputation problem, and it comes from the flat, high-yield versions that made the grape famous far from home. This one is from Veneto, in Italy's north, where the grape is known as Pinot Grigio and grown on hills that give it real acidity. Placido farms there, and the 2019 vintage keeps the wine light on its feet without stripping out flavour.
- Pinot Grigio, the grape behind the wine.
- Veneto, northern Italy.
- 2019 vintage, 12% ABV.
- Dry, light-bodied, high acidity.
- 750ml bottle.
How it is made
Pinot Grigio is a colour mutation of Pinot Noir, and the skins carry a faint copper-grey tint. In Veneto the grapes are pressed gently and fermented cool to keep the fruit aromatics intact, then bottled young. The style is built around freshness rather than oak or age.
How it tastes
Green apple and pear lead, with citrus and a lift of white flowers behind them. There is a mineral edge that keeps the fruit from turning soft, and the high acidity runs clean through to the finish. Light-bodied and dry, with barely any tannin.
Where it comes from
Veneto stretches from the Dolomites down to the Adriatic, and Pinot Grigio is one of its most widely planted white grapes. The northern hills give the variety the cool nights and diurnal shift it needs to hold onto acidity, which is why the region's better examples taste leaner and more focused than the grape's broader reputation suggests.
