What a difference a year makes... Ruffino Lumina Pinot Grigio *2006*

We did our WBW #41 posting which included a Ruffino Lumina Pinot Grigio 2005. After Taster B did the posting, we found a 2006 in one of our local packies. I found the 2005 to be a bit oaky-smoky. It was not our favorite and had it not been for WBW, we most likely would not have posted it.

Part of the assignment was to find 2006 wines. We logged over 75 miles, visited 6 packies and two wine shops. This bottle was a little more expensive partly because we bought it at a packie as opposed to the discount wine place that we found the 2005.

The folks at Fork and Bottle were right, 2006 does represent a better vintage, at least by the Ruffino Lumina Pinot Grigio. The wine is more of an expression of the grape. I’m drinking it with a bit of Cajun Dirty Rice. We feel that the price we paid for the 2006 would have been too much for the 2005. The 2006 is smooth and buttery in the finish, the 2005 is a bit harsh.

It is worth noting that the 2005 had a composite cork and the 2006 had a screw cap.

Our Italian lesson for the day is the word Lumina. Lumina means "Illumination of the moon". Ruffino is the producer. Here’s what I got:

Pinot Grigio
Ruffino
Lumina
Venezia Giulia IGT 2006

Alcohol: 12.5%
Price: $13.99

Color: Yellow
Intensity: Pale
Aromas: Lemon, melon, pineapple, a bit of green vegetable, nutmeg, slight vanilla and butterschotch
Flavors: Lemon, grapefruit, apple, pear, pineapple, stone, slate, butterscotch
Body: light
Acidity: Crisp
Sweetness: Dry
Finish: Moderate

Summary: Not as “complicated” as the 2005. Citrus forward aromas, a tiny bit green veggie, lots of melon and pineapple. Very smooth and elegant. I little nutmeg as the wine aged in the glass, then it shifted towards lemon. This wine is fun.


Dear Diary,
I hope you will forgive me for not doing a photo shoot. I know it would look more professional but it is mid week and I had to stay late at the J.O.B.

WBW #41: Friuli-Venezia Giulia white wines

We are very excited about our first Wine Blogging Wednesday entry. So excited that we botched it a little!

Finding the Wine
I had hoped to find a 2006 Friulano Blanco as recommended by Boulder sommelier Bobby Stuckey in this month’s issue of Runner’s World (since we lived there for 8+ years), but as our hosts at Fork and Bottle indicated, it was not easy to find any Friuli-Venezia-Guilia at the recommended price point in any of our usual shops.

We started by trekking down to one of the larger liquor stores in our area and could only come up with an $8.99 bottle of Ruffino. So, by the following weekend, when after another unsuccessful shopping trip at an actual Wine Shop I found a bottle marked “Friuli” at a small package store, I leapt for it. The next day, we finally went into our neighborhood ‘Liquor Locker’ where we found at last the coveted bottle of >$18 Friuli-Venezia-Guilia.

Only after we got all three bottles together, did we realize that one didn’t fit the profile. We included it anyway!

The Flight:

Ruffino Lumina Pinot Grigio 2005
First impression was oak and grapefruit zest, followed by mineral--reminiscent of a Chardonnay.

Albola Pinot Grigio 2005 (the renegade!)
First impression was of brie, and fig and reminiscent of a Sauvignon Blanc.

Bortoluzzi Pinot Grigio 2006
First impression was that it was very similar to the Albola: More stinky fromage, and fig, as well as Clementine. This one however, was more like a Riesling than a Sauvignon Blanc with a fizzy mouth feel.

Second Impressions
After going back to the Ruffino, the nose has gone harsh, almost chemically. Taster A smells heavy toast and I smell carbonized lighter fluid. Taster A suggests it smells like over-toasted pine-nuts. Let’s find out! We burned some pine-nuts over the stove and took a whiff: I then smelled the Ruffino and now it smelled like burnt nuts with tree fruit. More pleasant than a chemical fire but, still not my item!
I thought the Bortoluzzi, with its Riesling character would pair well with baklava—it definitely has a honey aroma. Taster A said “no way.” So, we got out some honey: I think it worked. Taster A thought it made the wine taste sour.

Pairings
With the undeniable odor of cheese from the Albola and Bortoluzzi, I figured a natural choice would be brie. The Albola actually stood up to the brie better than the Bortoluzzi. That leaves us with only the theoretical pairing of Mu Shu pork for the Bortoluzzi, or anything that you would pair with a dry Riesling.
The Albola went well with brie, and also with split pea soup. The Ruffino wasn’t bad with split pea soup either (think liquid smoke).

Final Thoughts
Quality followed the price point pretty consistently with the Ruffino being the most rustically manipulated, and the Bortoluzzi the most refined. For our money, the Albola at $12.99 and with a little more backbone than the Bortoluzzi was the best choice (oops! the non-Venezia-Giulia took the prize--the Bortoluzzi was the winner in the Venezia-Giulia division :))

We were really happy with our flight of three Friuli wines which gave us a chance to get a feel for the broad range of flavor characteristics that can be achieved with one varietal: Pinot Grigio. We had the charry chardonnay-like Ruffino, the taut Sauvignon Blancesque Albola, and the eloquent Riesling-reminiscent Bortoluzzi.

The Details
Ruffino Lumina
2005 Pinot Grigio
Venezia Giulia IGT
Alcohol: 12.5%
Cost: $8.99

Albola
2005 Pinot Grigio
Friuli Aquileia DOC

Alcohol: 12%
Cost: $11.99

Bortoluzzi
2006 Pinot Grigio
Venezia Giulia IGT
Alcohol: 13.5%
Cost: $19.99