I admit it. I used to be one of those people who would say “I don’t like white wines,” because I’d had bad experiences with chardonnays, I hadn’t too much experience trying different varietals of whites and, well, because I thought white wines were perceived as wimpy.

Thank god, help arrived in the formation of the Swirl Girls. Simply by the many samples we receive, I’ve had opportunities to try all sorts of whites. And here’s the thing. I LOVE white wines. Not just the sweet rieslings, which I always loved, but many, many things in-between.

Full-disclosure: I’m still not crazy in love over chardonnays. But I’m trying, and that’s the point of this post: What you just might fall in love with while trying new things. Oh, and I got this bottle free as a sample.

I invited a vegetarian friend over for dinner and poured the 2009 WillaKenzie Estate Pinot Gris from the Willamette Valley in Oregon. It is certified sustainable and uses all estate-grown grapes. It uses no malolactic fermentation or barrel aging and has a screwcap, which I never mind!

It’s a pale butter color and has the most beautiful fruit-driven aroma of melon, pear, mango and stone peaches. There were so many tropical fruits in my nose I thought I might have been transported to the Bahamas and was about to dive into a tropical drink! I even picked up a touch of coconut and a slight floralness. Truly, the smell was amazing. It emanated from the glass and was so strong, it just swept you away. There was a hint of minerality underneath the fruit symphony. Once in my mouth, the fruit kindly side-stepped away and a crisp, elegant, richness overtook me. I loved the medium-body weight of the wine – it promised to hold up to stronger dishes and online, they have recipes for lobster and crab in a white wine cream sauce, so it’s a wine that can hold its own in a pairing “ring.”

The next day, mostly what I remember is how perfectly balanced this wine is. It’s not sour or acidic, just pleasantly crisp. There’s no nasty aftertaste at all. It’s just a really elegant, lovely wine.

My friend and I enjoyed it with a huge bowl of roasted vegetables. In retrospect, I wish I’d paired it with something a bit heavier. Perhaps pasta, roasted vegetables and a bit of cheese. But when we had a fresh mango for dessert, the wine was happy. To be honest, I could have sipped this wine all night while curled up in something soft on my couch.

It sells for $21 online here.

Purely SwirlGirl evaluation: If this wine were a dress, I would describe it as a pink chiffon silk dress that hits just a little bit past the knees. It’s not revealing or too hot/inappropriate but it screams of elegance. And there just might a pair of pearl earrings involved. Small ones, of course.