Maker: Two Lads, Old Mission Peninsula, Traverse City, Michigan, USA
Grape: 100% Pinot Grigio/Gris
Place of origin: Old Mission Peninsula AVA, Traverse City, Michigan, USA
Vintage: NV
ABV: 12.5%
Price: $30 (Michigan by the Bottle Tasting Room)
Note: Pop cap closure.
Appearance: Light gold with big fizz and persistant, quick bubbles.
Nose: Dry. Minerals, lychee, sage.
Palate: Effervescent. Mineral water, Meyer lemon, mandarin orange.
Finish: Dry and flinty. Slightly herbal and smoky.
Mixed: I tried this wine in a mimosa and a Death in the Afternoon (using herbsaint instead of absinthe). It was good in both and would probably work well in other champagne cocktails like a Kir Royale, but it’s so good on its own I’m not sure why anyone would want to use it in cocktails.
Parting words: I was blindly grabbing at bottles in a box behind some wine racks yesterday trying to find a sparkler to pull out for a review today. The first bottle I pulled out was a bottle of mid-range prosecco. Looks OK, I thought, but maybe I have something more interesting in there. I reached back again and pulled this out. “That’s it!” I actually said out loud.
I expected this to be tasty, but not quite this tasty. This wine is dry enough to remind me of brut Champagne, but retails enough sweetness and Pinot Grigio character to make it enjoyable to drink. Bone dry champagne never really turned me on, anyway. This is non-vintage but they also have produced vintages of this in years past. It pairs well with a wide variety of cusine, too.
Two Lads Sparkling Pinot Grigio is a winner. Drink it early in the evening while you can still tell how good it is and appreciate how pretty the conical bottle is. Highly recommended.
Sipology 