The often-overlooked star of our white wine lineup, our small-production Pinot Blanc is the wine we’re craving right now. With spring (finally) in the air, there’s something about a crisp, clean glass of Pinot Blanc that feels like a breath of fresh air to our palate. And we don’t make much of it — only 200 total cases produced — so it’s only available through us at the winery.
Why have we fallen so hard for Pinot Blanc?
If you haven’t tried Pinot Blanc before, it’s rounder, softer and more aromatic than Chardonnay with well-balanced acidity and pretty notes of peach, apricot and hazelnut. Fresh, dry and easy to drink, it’s like that easy-going friend that you can go anywhere with (and whose company you never get bored of).
Versatile and elegant — it’s delicious with roast chicken, light salads, soft cheeses and the lighter fare we’re turning to as the weather warms up. It’s also incredible with our local Dungeness Crab — so throw a bottle in the cooler if you’re headed to the coast!
What makes this particular vintage of our Pinot Blanc so extraordinary?
“We had a great fall in 2021” recalls our winemaker, Eric. “It really gave us a wonderful opportunity to allow for an elongated picking window to get things at the perfect ripeness level. Pinot Blanc — and our Pinot Blanc in particular — follows a slower ripening time and getting hang time in the right temperature range is really important for making it well, 2021 gave us that!”
“To me, what really makes our Pinot Blanc so special,” Eric elaborates “are the barrels we use for it. Pinot Blanc is quite delicate, and because of this is the only wine that we specifically age in neutral puncheons. This allows for the freshness and varietal characteristic of the grape to show through, while also showcasing the textural changes from aging on lees in oak.”
Where does the Pinot Blanc grape come from?
Pinot Blanc traces its origins back to Burgundy, although it’s more commonly associated with the Alsace region of France, where it has thrived for centuries. It loves higher elevations and cooler climates and thrives in clay and limestone soils. Pinot Blanc has found fertile ground in various wine-growing regions across the globe, including Germany, Italy, Austria, and, of course, here in the United States; most notably in Oregon. Also interesting is that Pinot Blanc is a genetic mutation of Pinot Gris which happens to be a genetic mutation of the grape that made the Willamette Valley famous — Pinot Noir.
We’re thrilled to be making Pinot Blanc and can’t wait to share it with you!
