This is the second wine from Carmenet that I’ve reviewed, both reviews have been done since they were acquired by the Bronco Wine Company. Bronco is the company behind the infamous Two Buck Chuck and dozens of other cheap wine brands. I personally have a love/hate thing with Bronco… obviously, by the name of this website, I’m a fan of bargain wines and look for great deals. But even if a wine costs $5 or less, if it makes me want to dump it out, it’s no bargain. Some of the wines I’ve had from Bronco brands have been palateable, while others haven’t done the trick for me.
This is one of the good ones. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised by this wine. I tasted it in part of a blind tasting, so I had no idea who produced the wine, and it was good. The other wine I reviewed from Carmenet, their Merlot, also got a good review. So, this may be one of the better brands in the Bronco family.
The Pinot Grigio has a light straw color with a slightly green hue. The nose is very perfumey, with floral aromas, pear, and a mineral backbone. And it has good intensity in the aromas overall. The acidity is near perfect. Good firm mineral characteristics on the palate layer nicely with pear, lime and subtle peach. A hint of honey comes in on the finish, which also has a lingering citrus. This is a nice Pinot Grigio.
Wine: Carmenet Pinot Grigio
Variety: Pinot Grigio
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol: 12.5%
Rating: 88
Price: $11.00
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