Navarro Vineyards, Anderson Valley (Mendocino County, California) Pinot Gris 2023 ($26)

I sometimes lose faith in this grape variety (a stable mutation of Pinot Noir) after tasting too many watery renditions of Pinot Grigio, lifelessly sweet examples of Pinot Gris from Alsace, or just plain bland Pinot Gris from Oregon or New Zealand. Then I taste a wine like this—and my faith is restored. It is medium-bodied but finished dry, with vivid fruit flavors recalling poached pears and baked apples that are enlivened with just the right intensity of acidity to freshen the wine while not undercutting its generosity. There’s also the faintest hint of pleasant bitterness in the finish that lends additional complexity. This is the sort of wine that you could either study with profit over an hour, or just sip and enjoy without being “challenged” by it at all.
95 Michael Franz