I found 3 Pinot Blancs from 3 different countries to try to understand this variety further. Let’s taste.
What is Pinot Blanc?
Pinot Blanc is a mutation of Pinot Noir. Therefore, it’s thought to have originated from Burgundy. However, the most reputed examples are from Alsace and Alto-Adige (as Pinot Bianco). A lot is also planted in Germany (as Weissburgunder) with a bit in Austria and other parts of the world.
It’s typically a round, medium to full-bodied white that can take oak aging but it’s often unoaked or aged in rather neutral oak casks. In Alto-Adige for example, they generally use stainless steel and/or large oak casks although a few producers are aging it partially in small new oak barrels. There is often no or only partial malolactic too. In my limited experience with Pinot Blanc from around the world, it’s rather floral, neutral and subtle while being versatile with food, but it depends on the style and terroir of the producer. It’s more like Chardonnay in that sense.
Strangely for Alsace Pinot Blanc, it’s technically legal that up to 100% of it could actually be Auxerrois Blanc (Pinot Auxerrois), another similar wine descended from Pinot Noir. It also has to compete with more famous varieties like Riesling, Pinot Gris & Gewurztraminer for attention there. It’s similarly not the feature white in Germany and has many other whites to compete with in Alto-Adige. It’s still a wine that wine geeks look to explore more than casual drinkers.
For this comparison, I also learned that beyond the international strain of Pinot Blanc, there can be separate white mutations of Pinot Noir such as the one discovered nearly 100 years ago at Domaine Henri Gouges (read more below in the tasting notes). It just shows that as much as we try to classify and control wines, there are too many variables and nature has its own way of making diversity.
Lastly, I found a rare Pinot Blanc here in Chile. I think it’s the only varietal version I’ve tasted here.
Tasting Notes
2022 Markus Molitor Haus Klosterberg Pinot Blanc Trocken
Screw-cap. Fermented with native yeasts in stainless steel and big wooden casks. Quite aromatic. Floral, ripe white stone fruit, honey and slight savory minerality. The palate is a little less expressive but it’s medium-bodied, round and fruity. Touch of spice. Low acid but not flabby. Low alcohol. 90
2017 Henri Gouges Bourgogne Pinot Blanc
Domaine Henri Gouges was established in 1920. In 1936, they discovered their own variant of Pinot Blanc in their Clos des Porrets vineyard, so they decided to make a nursery for it (sometimes called Pinot Gouges). By the 50’s, they finally started selling it commercially. Therefore, this is not the same international version of Pinot Blanc grapes.
The nose starts off with a white flower, honey component. Medium-intensity. The palate is more expressive with zippy, citric acidity, a round feel and medium-light body. Peachy flavors. Some of the white flower notes, honey and wooly notes remind me more of Chenin Blanc. Savory back-end. Don’t feel there’s much of any tertiary flavors at 8 years old. Overall, different but versatile with food. It held up well over 3 days with the nose opening up some more with toasty notes on the palate. 91
2022 Montsecano Quebradilla Pinot Blanc/Chardonnay Casablanca
This is their 3rd vintage of Pinot Blanc. It’s Pinot Blanc with just a little bit of Chardonnay to fill out the rest of the concrete egg. Vinification with 2-3 days of maceration in concrete eggs with native yeasts and no added sulfur. No filtration. The color is certainly a bit darker, but still yellow and relatively clear for an unfiltered white. You also get some bitter, herbal and leafy notes on the nose and palate showing some of the skin-contact. However, white floral notes become more noticeable on the nose. The palate is round, medium-bodied with medium acid. A touch of spice. A bit wooly. Not a fruit dominated wine. Still a light wine. Low alcohol. But more of a food wine. Not exactly for beginners, but if you haven’t had much natural, skin-contact whites, it’s a milder intro to these styles of wines. It could still gain some complexity and maybe more fruit will reveal itself. 89