Pinot Gris/Grigio tasting and comparison.

Last week I was hankerin' for some whites, so I decided to taste a few Pinot Gris/Grigios. My experience with this varietal (besides in reading) is limited to the two selections we have at my work, so it seemed like a good idea...
2006 Hugel Pinot Gris "Classic" 12.5% abv
c- light gold, hints of green
a- minerality, slate, white flowers, spicy
f- acidity (I actually wrote 'boom!'), mineral, touch of honey. crisp. medium mouth feel, between a short and medium finish. floral.
89
2009 Bollini Pinot Grigio Trentino 13% abv
c- yellow gold
a-musky, white flowers, acid
f- lemon, snappy, acid. light mouth, short finish. very drinkable but doesn't stand out to me like the Hugel.
85
2009 Handley Pinot Gris Anderson Valley 14.2% abv
c- gold
a- apple
f- acidity, honey. short finish, light mouth. alcoholic and flabby. not much there.
84-
There is a clear winner here again- Hugel. I think this was again around the most expensive bottle, but the Pinot Grigio was close if I remember correctly. I would buy the Hugel again, and also the Bollini but probably only as a summer refresher. I was disappointed with Handley. I have really liked most of their wines I have tried, but as you can tell from my notes, I didn't find much there to say about it. Oh well.
Next week: Zinfandels!

California Pinot Noir comparison.

This time around I bought three bottles of California Pinot. One from the north, one from the south, and one from the general California appellation. I also have tasting notes from one I tried at work, as well as a Australian Pinot that I had shortly before.
2009 Bogle Pinot Noir California 14.2% abv.
c- magenta, cranberry juice.
a- apple jam, apple, plum.
f- touch tarry rubber, fruit, balanced, longer finish but lighter bodied. touch of alcohol at the end.
In the same league as other similarly priced pinots (10ish).
85
2009 Brophy Clark Santa Barbara County PN 13.5% abv.
c- purply deep red.
a- more earthy, manure, dark black cherry.
f- medicinal or vitaminy. fruity. alcohol seems more present despite lower abv. this wine became more favorable after a day open, however I would pass on it.
84
2007 Handley Anderson Valley PN 14.2% abv.
c- dusty violet/rose.
a- spicy, fruit, pinot.
f- carries good depth, balanced. Raspberry/cherry. Showed better on second day with cola/anise notes.
90
2009 Talbott "kali hart" Monterey PN 14.8% abv.
c- clear ruby purple.
a- pinot, cherry, alcohol, acid.
f- same. hot. shorter finish. med mouth feel. oak present as vanilla, which seems to lend it an odd sweetness.
85
2008 Little Yering PN 13.5% abv.
c- garnet, touch brown.
a- pinot, baked cherry, earth, acid.
f- similar. Balanced acid, lighter, but not bad for the price(10ish).
85
Clearly the best wine here was the Handley. This was also the most expensive. The Brophy Clark was a disappointment for the price and I will probably not buy anything by them again. Conversely, both the Little Yering and Bogle were good for the price. Many wines at a less expensive price point can show true varietal character, but this seems more difficult with pinot. Great pinot is not something that comes cheap!