Wine of the week: FEL, 2021 Pinot Gris, Anderson Valley

With wine grapes ripening only once a year. there’s a lot riding on harvest. But Sarah Green is unflappable.

“We only get one shot, and we embrace both the sense of urgency and opportunity that comes with this,” Green said. “Stress can be good.”

Green is the winemaker behind our wine of the week winner — the FEL 2021 Pinot Gris, Anderson Valley, 13.8%, $32. It’s a floral white with notes of honeysuckle and freesia. On the palate, it has kiwi, pear and a splash of grapefruit. Balanced and buoyed with bright acidity, it has a citrusy finish. It’s impressive. The FEL brand is under Lede Family Wines.

“The strength of our pinot gris lies in our fruit sourcing,” Green said. “The Hein Vineyard in the deep end of the Anderson Valley is perfectly situated for the variety. It’s a cooler spot in the valley, and the vines are decently vigorous, which helps slow things down and allows us to maximize time on the vine without sacrificing acid or accumulating excessive sugar in the grapes.”

Another reason it’s a standout, she said, is because the juice is fermented in a 900-gallon oak cask, one that’s well seasoned and without a trace of new-oak character after a decade of use.

“We find that this large-format vessel is ideal for the wine’s maturation,” she said, “which is quick at seven months before bottling.”

As for the house style she’s aiming for, Green said, she looks to Northern Italy for inspiration.

“Those wines have a ton of aromatic freshness, bright crunchy acid and juicy flavor without being over-bearing,” she said

The trickiest part of producing pinot gris, Green explained, is capturing its texture.

“Each vineyard has its own tipping point. … Knowing its pressure points is a lot of the game. The goal with this pinot gris, as with all of our winemaking, is to capture the freshest acidity as well as the most expressive fruit on the palate.”

What most people don’t know about the pinot gris grape, Green said, is that it has pinkish-red skin.

“It looks a bit like pinot noir, although with overall bigger clusters and berries,” she said. “This is a huge part of its identity. What makes it such a perfect summer wine is that, because of its excellent texture, even straight from the ice bucket it’s dynamic on the palate, in addition to its juicy fruit character.”

An English major, Green graduated from Smith College in 2011.

“Anyone can learn to do the tasks that making wine requires, but being a good fit ultimately comes down to wanting to be a part of the craft,” she said. “The craft of winemaking benefits from a lot of curiosity and a hunger for discovery.”

After graduating college, Green was hungry to do something completely different. She decided on a lark to work a harvest.

“I discovered an incredible community of people who were passionate, engaged, curious and committed to growing grapes and making wine. I couldn’t look away, and I didn’t.”

You can reach Wine Writer Peg Melnik at peg.melnik@pressdemocrat.com or 707-521-5310.