If you’re a Real Housewives of New York fan, or if you’ve attended any sort of event in a hotel ballroom or convention center recently, then you’re familiar with Pinot Grigio. A perfectly serviceable varietal, it’s become the Merlot of white wines: safe, dry, perfectly drinkable, but neither complex nor inspiring. Real Pinot Gris however, with its roots firmly in the Alsace region and best produced throughout Oregon these days, tastes nothing like the Italian version of the grape proliferating bulk wine distributorships and supermarkets these days. Real Pinot Gris will remind you of great Gewurztraminers or Pinot Blanc: cool, crisp, with intriguing fruitiness upfront evolving immediately into a long, dry, thick complex journey. This 2010 Torii Mor Pinot Gris from the heart of Oregon’s Willamette Valley has everything you’d want in this varietal: floral notes of honeysuckle and pear as well as fennel and herbs. Upon first sip, you might get a sense that this will be sweet (as happens with so many Alsatian varietals) but the fruit is immediately supported by vibrant acids and stays nice and dry the whole way through with a rich texture and flavors of pears, citrus, herbs and white flowers. A long, viscous finish is accompanied by good snap, overall freshness and a pleasing light bitter note. This Pinot Gris is ready to drink now, but will soften and open up considerably over the next year.