Massican CA Pinot Grigio

Winemaker Dan Petroski founded Massican in 2009 as Napa's “only white-wine winery.” Petroski makes Mediterranean wines, which refers to not only their style (high-acid, floral, salty) but their ambition: to grace tables. In 2017 he was named “Winemaker of the Year” by San Francisco Chronicle and has gone on to become a darling of the Napa Valley wine industry—a winemaker who is playing by his own rules, making truly exceptional wine. I was frankly shocked when one of our suppliers wandered in with a sample bottle: For years, these wines have sold at the winery only and were not available anywhere else. But I knew exactly what this wine was, and knew I had to get it for Terroir Club members. I love the Massican wines when they are fresh, young, and crunchy – that would be the calendar year after the vintage on bottle. If you are drinking them in the springtime and summer, you’ll find them vibrant and joyous on the palate. And if you start drinking them in the fall, they become great cold-weather white wines as they build more weight and texture on the palate and pair well with heartier dishes.

Dan Petroski via Massican recently published a cookbook, which can be found at https://www.massican.com/categories/massican-cookbook/. To borrow just a few food ideas for this charming white wine, I suggest Dan’s fennel & citrus salad, sausage & rice stuffed peppers, and olive oil poached swordfish.