06 CK Mondavi Vineyards, Willow Springs Pinot Grigio

I wonder which test tube has slate. Or if it's just the faint history of Cesar Mondavi in Italy that gave the family the sensibility to make a simple white wine this decent. Against other Cali pinot grigios that tend to take on strong, sweet melon flavors and aromas far too floral for delicate grapes like this, the Willow Springs at least focuses a bit more on the Old World style. I love the lemon and starfruit, the mango/honeydew finish, the dusty aroma of silk, tonic, dandelion, and lime. There's some exhaust from the alcohol that makes it all a bit too gin-and-tonic like at the end, but it's not a bad effort, one we'd be prone to say was born in the lab--fine, it probably was--but one that shows even lab rats live, even lab rats breathe and, cooked right, they taste pretty good.