The defining characteristic of King Estate’s Paradox Pinot Gris can be summed up in one three-letter word: oak. Unlike any other King Estate Pinot Gris, Paradox is the only one that spends time in oak barrels. “It’s a counterpoint to our usual style,” acknowledges Co-Founder and Co-CEO Ed King. First produced in 2009, Paradox has an almost cult-like following among wine club members and even prominent wine reviewers like Patrick Comiskey who wrote in 2019, “Paradox flies in the face of the brand’s prevailing styles… At first pass, it has some classic elements – it’s crisp, bright and racy… But the lees aging and barrel maturation renders the wine rounder and slightly more phenolic than nearly everything they’ve done before.”
Even the label – our only white wine with a black label and with “King Estate” appearing upside down – suggests that this wine is unlike any other in our portfolio. “It turns our style of Pinot Gris on its head,” says Co-CEO and Winemaker Brent Stone. Fruit designated for Paradox is more austere and mineral driven with stronger notes of citrus and slightly underripe fruit. “It can’t have too much floral or overdone fruit because they will overpower the added attribute of delicate oak integration,” explains Assistant Winemaker Leah Lyon.
The story of Paradox
The 100% Biodynamic fruit is from three blocks on the estate — 5A, 15C and 18C. Since its first bottling in 2009, Paradox has been made every year since except two, making this the 13th iteration. Since 2017 the fruit has come exclusively from the King Estate vineyard.
On the palate the wine boasts notes of lemon and lime, crisp pear and white peach accented by wet stone, crème brûlée and toasted marshmallow. Balanced and refreshing, this wine has a lingering finish that reveals some toastiness from the light touch of French oak. It was aged on the lees for eight months, spending three of those months in eight brand-new barrels from a couple of different forests in France. “We chose barrels that were fine-grained so they impart softer tannin into the wine,” Leah says. “The warm, toasty flavors from the oak add texture, complexity and length on the palate.” Barrel-aged wine has slightly more oxygen exposure than wine fermented in stainless steel only, which is our traditional style. Oxygen can help reduce bitterness, stabilize color and develop aromas.
Paradox pairs well with white fish topped with tropical fruit salsa, risotto and creamy pastas.
