I note that this bottle of Charles Creek En Casa California Pinot Grigio was a find at the local Bargain Grocery Store. It's summer, it's hot, and the perfect weather for drinking Pinto Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc. This particular Pinot Grigio is from a small California family winery based in Sonoma (and Napa) California. Gerry and Bill Brinton are the proprietors, and they rely on Kerry Damskey as their "consulting winemaker." They produce a variety of red and white wines, including some limited release wines.

This Charles Creek Pinot Grigio is a very light straw color, with a hint of citrus and pear on the nose. The hint of dry pear cider flavor I've noticed with some other Pinot Grigios was here as well, with a implication of something tropical, possibly pineapple. It's dry rather than sweet, and would work well as an aperitif or with a delicate lemon and butter baked sole, or something light with fresh local crab meat. It wasn't a shock to discover that this wine is, like so many white wines, actually a blend of 90% Pinot Gris, and 10% Riesling. It works well; the wine has a crisp light finish, neither too sweet or too acidic, at 13.3% ABV. Their Web site notes that this wine won both Champion and Gold Medal awards at the 2007 International Wine Competition at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, which, frankly, is giving me a completely different idea of what actually goes on at a rodeo. I will be looking for more of this wine, and am contemplating crab salad served in avocado halves, or possibly, papaya. Either would pair well

Their online store sells not only their wines, but "Sonoma Style" in general, including aged balsamic vinegars. The Charles Creek Winery blog is here, and their Twitter feed here.