Pinot is loved for its versatility, and that chameleonic quality was on display at Saturday’s themed wine tasting at Blind Bishop in Dallas. We tried six different expressions of Pinot Noir and Pinot Grigio/Gris.
It was the first summery day of the season, and wine lovers streamed into the sun-filled tasting room. Two gentleman pourers stood ready to take us on a Pinot odyssey. Sarah and I grabbed an empty wineglass and got to work.
First up was a chilled bottle of Ecco Domani Pinot Grigio, a crisp and high-volume Italian example that has been a staple of restaurant wine lists and grocery stores forever. I used to drink this wine a lot–most often with popcorn at Plano’s Angelika indie movie theater (RIP). With its light lemony and green apple flavors, it was presented as a foil to the next wine, the medium-bodied and fragrant Zind Humbrecht Pinot Gris from Alsace. Tasters marveled at how the same grape made in two different climates and styles could yield such vastly different wines.
Then we moved on to the red Pinots, starting with a generic Bourgogne Rouge, “Origines” by Albert Bichot. It is made in a restrained Burgundian style with strawberry and strawberry-leaf flavors and subtle floral and oak aromas.
It could not have been more different than the bottle that followed: A concentrated and smoky New Zealand Pinot Noir. Ripe red berries, grilled meat, and cedar-plank spiciness all smoothed over by subtle vanilla and floral notes–like a backyard BBQ dinner and gourmet raspberry tart all in one glass. If that sounds gross, it’s not. This wine was the crowd consensus favorite–and Sarah’s and my favorite, too.
The final two wines were both premium American Pinots. Cristom is a Willamette Valley Pinot Noir made with native yeast fermentation and exclusively Eola-Amity Hills grapes. It eschews bright fruit in favor of vanilla-laced black plum and leafy tannins. The contrasting wine in this pair was Patz & Hall Pinot Noir from the Sonoma Coast. Rich and (relatively) saturated in color. It tasted of cherries and spice with a lightly drying redcurrant finish.
By that time, our palates were dialed to “light reds” and hunger was setting in. We savored a bottle of Allegrini Valpolicella ($42) and a superb meat and cheese board ($22). The Valpolicella apparently got the memo that it was Pinot day, and could have passed for a light fruit-driven Pinot Noir…sour cherry and dried cranberry with fig jam and a whiff of lavender. It was fantastic with peppered salami, manchego and brie.
Blind Bishop offers tastings on some Saturday afternoons, a gift from Master of Wine Dilek Caner to Dallas’s wine community. There’s also occasional wine pairing dinners and wine classes on the calendar.
I did my WSET Level 2 wine class here–and while it’s a little too far from home for me to haunt regularly, it’s a gem with a warm urban atmosphere, carefully selected wine list, and educational focus.
Tasting Saturdays are from 4 PM-6 PM, and you can join Blind Bishop’s email list to be notified of future tastings. (Attendance is free but spots are limited and fill up.) Want to taste more? Additional wines by the glass/bottle and small plates are available for purchase. Take-home buyers receive 10% off featured bottles during the event.
Wine tasted (prices are suggested retail):
- Ecco Domani, Pinot Grigio delle Venezie, 2023, Italy – $11.99
- Domaine Zind Humbrecht, Pinot Gris, Alsace, 2022, France – $29.99
- Albert Bichot, Pinot Noir “Origines”, Bourgogne Rouge, 2022, France – $25.99
- Urlar, Pinot Noir, Gladstone, 2020, New Zealand – $27.99
- Cristom, “Mt. Jefferson Cuvée” Pinot Noir, Eola-Amity Hills, 2022, USA – $41.99
- Patz & Hall, Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast, 2021, USA – $37.99
- Allegrini Valpolicella, 2022, Italy – $18.99
Review disclosure: I was not compensated or provided any free products for this review. Opinions expressed on The Wine Fairy blog are entirely my own.
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