Our take
Hess Select Pinot Gris California White Wine
- Style
- White wine
- Size
- 750 ml
- Grape
- Pinot Gris
- Region
- California
- Shelf barcode
- 0717888557921
Our take
What we make of this bottle
Pinot Gris and Pinot Grigio are two names for one grape, and official guides say the Gris version can suggest a fuller, more textured white, where Grigio is often used for something lighter and crisper. We do not have a shopper rating for this wine.
The Hess name traces back to Mount Veeder, where, according to Hess Persson Estates, Donald Hess founded the Hess Collection winery in 1978. This bottle carries a California designation, and official guides describe the grape by its pear, apple, citrus and stone-fruit flavors. If you want a white with some weight to it rather than a lean, brisk one, official guides say the Gris name can point that way, though it is a loose signal rather than a promise.
In our August 2026 checks it came to $15.49.
Hess Persson Estates' technical sheet for the 2024 vintage confirms the wine is 100 percent Pinot Gris at 13.5 percent alcohol, made entirely in stainless steel with no oak at all. The winemaker's notes describe fermenting in stainless steel specifically to keep the tropical fruit character and freshness, with a period of stirring the wine on its spent yeast to add texture; the resulting nose is described as ripe pear and nectarine leading to tropical and white peach flavors, with bright acidity and lemon zest on the finish, the producer's language. That all-stainless-steel treatment leans toward the lighter, crisper profile the grape guides associate with the Grigio spelling, even though this label uses the Gris name. Hess Persson Estates names Mandy Curley as the winemaker for the Hess Select line.
Our call: worth a look if a fully disclosed tech sheet and a named winemaker matter more to you than the ambiguity in the name; Hess Persson Estates confirms this Pinot Gris saw no oak at all, a stainless-steel treatment closer to the lighter Grigio style than the fuller Gris style its own label name suggests, and credits winemaker Mandy Curley by name. Pass if you want the crowd's confirmation first; no shopper rating has reached our record for this bottle.
The Grocery Store Wine Desk · written Aug 17, 2026 from our research file for this wine. Numbers reflect our latest checks.
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Read our take →The price we checked
Dated store checks, not a promise about your store.
- Kroger, Atlanta suburbs, GA$15.49
The regular price can vary by store and date.
From the producer
Mount Veeder winery
Hess Persson Estates says Donald Hess established the Hess Collection winery on Mount Veeder in 1978.
Research status
What we are still checking
Our overview above draws on the dated store feed, shopper ratings, our region and grape research, and any sourced producer facts. We are still working to confirm the current release, the full producer record, and the bottle itself, and we update this page as we learn more.
Getting to know California.
California on the label is useful provenance but weak detail about place. For these wines, sourcing disclosure, blend construction and house-style consistency carry more decision value than a generic climate paragraph.
What the name means
A state-level appellation, broader than an individual American Viticultural Area. It permits a multi-region blend and does not by itself identify one climate or soil.
How grapes grow here
The state spans cool maritime zones and hot inland valleys. A California designation alone does not reveal which conditions shaped the fruit.
What lies under the vines
At state scale, sourcing and house-style construction matter more than any single soil story.
How large the region is
- Reusable question
- Which counties or AVAs supplied the blend, and did that mix change by release?
Places within the region
- Resolution limit
- County, AVA and vineyard claims begin only when the release names them.
Getting to know Pinot Gris.
Pinot Gris and Pinot Grigio are two names for the same white grape. The label wording often signals a style choice, but it does not create a different grape.
Category guide
What to expect in the glass
Pinot Grigio is often used for a lighter, crisper style, while Pinot Gris can point to more body and texture. Official guides describe pear, apple, citrus and stone fruit, with sweetness ranging from dry to gently off-dry.
Sources: New Zealand Winegrowers; New Zealand Winegrowers. Checked Aug 10, 2026. See all 48 Pinot Gris and Pinot Grigio wines we cover →
Where this information comes from
- Store listing
- Price, package, product identifier. Checked Aug 10, 2026.
- Barcode
- The shelf barcode shown here is computed from the store product identifier. It has not been checked against a bottle.
- Method
- Every price, rating and fact here is a dated observation. How we check.