The St. Michael-Eppan 2020 Alto Adige Pinot Grigio Sanct Valentin shows medium fruit weight with peach, honey and dried hay. I do notice the 14% alcohol content that seems high for this category of fresh white wine from the far north of Italy. Hopefully, this is not a sign of things to come as the climate changes. This is a thickly textured expression of this versatile grape. It sees 11 months in oak and eight months in cement.

The 2010 Pinot Grigio Sanct-Valentin is a rich, textured wine bursting with fruit. The distinctly tropical flavors along with the prominent oak are frankly a bit distracting here. Some readers may enjoy this style, but I do not. Alto Adige Pinot Grigio can be so much more. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2014. I found many delicious wines in this lineup from St. Michael Eppan. The house is best known for their top of the line Sanct-Valentin wines that emphasize textural softness. As good as those wines can be, the sweet spot at St. Michael lies just below, in the vineyard-designated range. Importers: Martin Scott Wines, Little Neck, NY; tel. (516) 327-0808, The Sorting Table, Napa, CA; tel. (707) 603-1461, Classic Wine Imports, Norwood, MA, Siena Imports, San Francisco, CA; tel. (415) 285-9675