“It is meat, drink, and cloth to us,” Francois Rabelais, 1494-1553, Gargantua and Pantagruel, V, 2.
I was first exposed to Pinot Blanc in the ’70s and ’80s, when Richard Arrowood made a rather fetching one for Chateau St. Jean. Its mellowness, subtly alluring fleshiness and light richness reminded me of a more reasonable version of a full-throttle Chardonnay, and I became hooked.
It’s entirely fitting that this column on Pinot Blanc comes on the heels of my recent one on Pinot Gris from Oregon, since both grapes are so hauntingly attractive to me. Both are also mutations of Pinot Noir.
The Pinot Blanc grape is regarded in Alsace, France, as an easy to enjoy, safe and dependable player, and it also thrives in the Fruilian area of Italy. Historically, it has been used (and it is still allowed) as a blending grape in Champagne and in Burgundy. In 2000, 2,200 acres of Pinot Blanc were planted in France and 8,630 acres were rooted in Germany.
Recently, I headed to the South Side’s Discount Liquor and Wine (run by Tom Greguska, whose talented brother, Mike, runs Discount in Waukesha). My timing couldn’t have been worse, as it was the first heavy rush of the holiday season. (As one dear friend once said to me, “It looked like the Ganges River on a holy day!”) Able assistant Tom, whilst frantically fielding frenzied inquiries, was kind enough to assemble an assortment of goodies to sample. Using my normal scale of “A-“F” grading, here are my evaluations:
1. 2009 Lucien Albrecht Pinot Blanc, Cuvee Balthazar, Alsace, France, $13.99: Light straw color with medium body. Lightly toasty vanilla, pineapple and apple notes on nose. Nice fruit in mouth finishing with lightly acidic notes. B
2. 2007 Alois LagederPinot Bianco, IGT, Italy, $15.99. Barely off-white color with medium body. Lightly complex nose. Medium fruit and depth with light finish. B-
3. 2005 Steele, Santa Barbara County, Calif., $14.99: Clear light caramel tint with medium-heavy body. Marvelous butterscotch notes, which carry into the palate while finishing into a spicy, almost racy end. A
4. 2008 Valley of the Moon, Sonoma County, Calif., $10.99: Faint yellow hue with medium body. Complex nose with moderately deep notes of spice. Medium fruit in the mouth with pleasing hints of pear. Elegant finish. B+
Today’s winner was the Steele.
Today’s Price/Value award easily went to the Valley of the Moon.
Cheers, Happy New Year, and thanks for reading my columns!
