Winemaker Notes
Gnarly Head Pinot Grigio is the Maserati of California white wine, and it's time to take it for a spin. This bright white wine boasts citrus blossom, tropical fruit, honeysuckle and white peach aromas, followed by luscious flavors of nectarine, lemon and honeydew wrapping up with a clean, refreshing finish.
Crisp fruit and zesty acidity make this medium-bodied wine a perfect aperitif or pair for spicy ginger pork, grilled seafood kebabs or spinach salad with warm bacon vinaigrette.
Internationally recognized for gorgeous, pure fruit combined with great elegance, California Pinot noir thrives among the state’s cooler, coastal zones. Characterized by eclectic flavors and aromas of strawberry, black cherry, plum and potpourri with notes of forest floor, mushroom or black tea, the best California Pinot noir boast a supple texture and good acidity, giving them the ability to improve with age.
Credited with the beginning of Pinot noir’s glory in California, two growers, Joe Rochioli and Joseph Swan in the late 1960s independently planted Pinot noir vineyards in the Russian River Valley of Sonoma County. Today Sonoma County remains the leading producer of Pinot noir in the state, and Pinot noir is the leading red grape in the county, achieving its highest potential, in the Russian River Valley and Sonoma Coast.
Other coastal appellations where Pinot noir flourishes include Carneros, Anderson Valley and most of the Central Coast.