INSIDER'S PICK: 2019 MURI-GRIES PINOT NOIR ALTO ADIGE $24.99

Even though we will not be doing the public tasting portion of the Insider's Pick until further notice, we will still be offering the wine for purchase with the usual 10% discount. The wines will still be ones we highly recommend, and the tasting notes will still be our own. We will be returning to doing just the one wine on Thursdays and Fridays until further notice. We hope you are able to come by and get some wines to enjoy.

Inspired by the use of this winery's Pinot Grigio in the Select Six for August, we wanted to show a little more love to Muri-Gries for one of their exceptional and oft-underrated red wines. The Benedictine monastery dates back to the 1840, when Swiss monks from Muri traveled to the Tyrolian town of Bolzano (then known as Gries) and took over for the Augustine sect there.The Augustines had a long history of wine knowledge and practice in the area, which the Benedictines absorbed and improved upon to make into a sustainable business and highly regarded center of viticulture education in the Sudtirol/Alto Adige. White wines, especially Pinot Grigio, are most prevalent in this Alpine region, and rightfully make up a lion's share of the consumption and reputation, but the red wines can be quite exceptional as well.  Pinot Noir (also called Pinot Nero or Blauburgunder) excels here as well as several other unique regional varieties, and Muri-Gries shows mastery in all of them. In fact, their special version of the Lagrein grape from the small vineyard inside the monastery walls, called Weingarten Klosteranger, is considered the best (and most expensive) rendition of that grape made year to year. This is more of a 'Village' bottling made from several sites the monastery farms, and drinks in the company of a good Bourgogne from a quality Cotes de Nuits producer. Polished and lively, the nose is dark and savory at first with currant and blackberry, then builds in more tart red cherry as it opens up as well as nice fresh herbs. On the palate the tannins are still a touch on the young and rustic side, but the weight of fruit and brightness of flavors more than compensate, and eventually catches up over time. Burgundy fans should not 'hold their nose' as they try it, thinking it's a lesser wine in any way, but rather a great opportunity to find values again in a style that's very difficult to come by these days. Fantastic food wine to pair with all forms of red meats, pork dishes, and stronger cheeses.

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