The 2009 Pinot Grigio Gris exudes the warmth of the year in its fat, voluptuous fruit. Despite its richness the Gris possesses terrific overall balance, although the style is decidedly big. I would choose to drink the 2009 with fairly rich foods. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2015. Proprietor Alvaro Pecorari has done a brilliant job with these new releases. Over the last few years Pecorari’s wines have moved up another notch in quality. One of the changes has been a move towards picking slighly earlier in order to preserve freshness, which seems to paying big dividends. Pecorari opened a 2003 Pinot Grigio Gris, from one of the most torrid vintages in memory, to show the ageability of his wines. At nearly ten years of age, the 2003 Gris has developed beautifully in bottle. Most of the single-vineyard whites are aged in 400-liter barrels with batonnage. The estate uses 15-20% new oak for most of the wines, but a little more for the Jurosa. Readers should be aware that Lis Neris is owned by members of my wife's extended family. I have always viewed education as an important component of wine criticism. An article on Friuli without these wines would have been incomplete and ultimately the consumer would have been poorer for their exclusion. For those reasons I have chosen to include the wines in this report. Neither my wife nor I have any financial or other interest, direct or indirect, in this property. Importer: Lis Neris Estate, Manhasset, NY; staff@lisnerisusa.com