Pinot Gris from Bunter Spring is just what it says it is, despite the label.

You know that nagging little headache that comes when you’re stalled by one of those either-or dilemmas? The wine is ready to bottle, but do you label it Pinot Grigio or Pinot Gris?

Yes, it’s the same grape, but there are differences beyond linguistics. This is a grape that shows terroir well.

Mark Bunter first slapped “Pinot Grigio” on his bottles, but changed his mind after one last sample of the wine.

“To me it just seems like a Pinot Gris, bottle be damned,” he says of his 2017 Bunter Spring Pinot Gris.

It is bright, but not chipper – offering such pleasantries as windblown honeysuckle and a hint of churning butter behind the aroma of freshly cut pears and apples. A sip welcomes another gush of ripe fruit. Yet there is richness to the wine, which wraps the palate in a mellow, creamy notion of blanched almonds. This is countered by a playful trill of lemon and the earthier bite of stewed rhubarb.

Bunter produced the Pinot Gris old world style – on its lees, wild yeast, neutral oak and in a small batch. He made just one barrel. Oh – and new labels have been ordered.

Bunter Spring Winery | 9 Del Fino Place, Carmel Valley. (202) 744-1343, bunterspringwinery.com