Movia 2002 Pinot Grigio

I'd be hard pressed to come up with a winemaker who parties harder than Movia's Ales Kristancic. Maybe Jim Clendenen in his prime, or
Greg Linn these days)? Having attempted to keep up with all of these guys at previous World of Pinot Noir afterparties I've learned the folly of this pursuit and have contented myself in just enjoying the wines they're involved with. On the other hand, maybe Ales deserves to party a little intensely, given the quality of the wines he produces.

Having tasted a fair amount of older reds and whites from Movia over the past few years, I leapt at the opportunity a year ago to pick up a 6-pack of his 2002 Pinot Grigio at auction for about $4/bottle.
Now, there are plenty of grape varieties vying for the Rodney Dangerfield/"I don't get no respect" award but at this point in time, even Charbono and Tannat can't compare with Pinot Grigio. The Terlatos have done such a stellar job with their marketing program for their Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio that even the folks at Opus One and Cleavage Creek are awe-stricken by their accomplishment. Why do people spend ungodly amounts of money on uninspired Pinot Grigio? Because it's ong>safe. We like to be safe. We like to know that our wine selections at a fancy restaurant will be greeted by satisfied nods of appreciation from the others at the table who don't know much about wine, but they know what they like, and they like Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio, darn it, because they've had it before and it's safe!!

But there's a whole other world of Pinot Grigio out there, and Movia's version is pretty wonderful (particularly at $4). There are two strata of white wines from this part of Northern Italy- there are the light, fresh, fruit, and non-oaked offerings that are intended to be drunk and enjoyed (Puiatti and Zemmer are my usual go-to in this category) and then there are the more formidable, able to do double duty as a drinker and/or a collectible wine such as Gravner, Livon, Jermann, et al...I'd place Movia in this column, even though they're from Brda in Slovenia and aren't technically Italian.

This 2002 is beginning to show its age, but I mean that in a nice way. The aromatics are still quite pretty and floral, but they're turning a little harsher and on the palate there's a bitterness that's not out of place in Pinot Grigio but seems accentuated and less delicate in this older example. Not to worry though - I prepared some pasta (Bigoli Nobili's "Thin & Delicate) and added some Oleificio Chianti non-virgin olive oil with a little shaved broccoli, garlic, and tuna...finished it all off with some Stephen Singer extra-virgin olive oil, fennel pollen and some sea salt from Sardinia and it all came together and became quite a wonderful match with the Movia Pinot Grigio.

Is this one of the greatest white wines from Northern Italy? In a word, no. However, it's a good bottle of wine when placed within the context of being consumed with the right food. If you want profound wines from this region, I'd go with Radikon or Gravner, but those are wines that require a certain amount of intellectual engagement and a certain amount of financial wherewithal. While both of these aspects of discernment are important part of wine appreciation, it can get old quickly when all you want is something good to drink. Pinot Grigio rarely hits levels of profundity, but when made by Movia it's pretty damn good and doesn't require a lot of mental agitation on the part of the drinker. I'll drink up the remaining bottles in the next few months lest I be reduced (so to speak) to using them to glaze pans for sauces. Not as if that would be the end of the world .....