When Alsace pinot blanc retailed for ten or twelve bucks, it was often referred to as the poor man’s chardonnay. Prices are no longer that low, but many of these wines are fresher, more distinctive and more food-friendly than California chardonnays at two or three times the price.
Pinot blanc in Alsace typically shows light to medium body; notes of butter, spices and smoke; and fruit elements that can include lemon, apple, peach and orange—even more exotic notes of pineapple and guava. Mostly made without intrusive oak influence, pinot blanc is remarkably flexible with food. Crisper, more minerally versions complement crudités, fish mousses and terrines as well as fin fish and mildly seasoned poultry. Rounder, richer versions, sometimes with a light sweetness, can stand in for chardonnay thanks to their substantial body, lower acidity and tropical fruit flavors. This style can pair well with poultry and pork and is often aromatic enough to work with spicy crab or Southwestern dishes that incorporate chiles or cilantro.
Pinot blanc is quite likely a mutation of pinot noir. Pinot blanc’s sibling pinot auxerrois (usually known simply as auxerrois) is sometimes bottled on its own, but is often blended with pinot blanc, as many producers believe this combination makes a more balanced wine. Typically, pinot blanc contributes acidity while the often spicier auxerrois brings a buttery quality and more body. (In fact, an Alsace wine labeled pinot blanc may legally contain pinot auxerrois and even pinot gris or pinot noir vinified like a white wine.)
Pinot blanc/auxerrois is generally dry to just off-dry in Alsace. The excellent 2008 vintage is characterized by higher-than-normal acidity—in some cases much higher—which means that even wines with some residual sugar taste quite dry. Their acidity makes the wines of this vintage all the more refreshing and food-friendly.
Here are some top values in pinot blanc, drawn from my in-depth coverage of Alsace in the just-posted Issue 153 of the International Wine Cellar. For as little as $19.95 for a two-month subscription, you can get immediate access to all of my Alsace notes, plus in-depth coverage of Spain, Washington State, vintage Champagne and California’s Central Coast—plus more than 12 years of back issues and over 80,000 tasting notes.
Domaine Albert Mann’s 2008 Pinot Blanc ($17; Weygandt-Metzler Importing) shows complex aromas of butter, smoke, ginger and earth on the nose, with stone fruits lurking in the background. It’s a juicy, spicy, rather dry example of the variety, with good grip to its subtle flavors of dried pit fruits. The tactile, saline finish has great energy. Domaine Schoffit’s 2008 Pinot Blanc Auxerrois Vieilles Vignes ($21; Weygandt-Metzler Importing) starts out a bit heavy, with a fat texture and aromas of candied fruit, but its thick peach and mandarin zest flavors are nicely perked up by edgy acidity. This very rich wine still needs a year or two to come into harmony.
The fairly large-scaled, very ripe 2008 Pinot Blanc Bergheim from Domaine Marcel Deiss ($22; Vintus Wines) offers pungent aromas of soft citrus fruits, lemon and spices, with complicating earth and mineral qualities. The wine is rich, buttery and moderately sweet, but firm acidity gives it verve. The finish is minerally and nicely dry, with suggestions of hazelnut and spices.
Domaine Meyer-Fonné’s 2008 Pinot Blanc Vieilles Vignes ($18; Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant) is a distinctly serious, dry example of the variety. The aromas of peach and yellow flowers are complicated by butter, honey and vanilla. On the palate, underripe stone fruit and citrus flavors are intensified by firm framing acidity, which gives the wine a penetrating quality that will stand up to food. Also quite serious and nuanced is Domaine Pfister’s 2008 Pinot Blanc ($23; Vintage ’59 Imports). It’s bright yellow in color, with a highly aromatic nose combining candied lemon peel, brown spices, mint tea and hints of earth and crushed rock. A chalky quality gives enticing lift to this dense, dry wine’s orange and lemon fruit flavors.
Domaine Zind-Humbrecht’s 2008 Pinot Blanc ($24; The Sorting Table), a blend of 70% auxerrois and 30% pinot blanc, is a full medium gold color, displaying exotic yet vibrant aromas and flavors of musky apricot, orange and medicinal herbs. It’s chewy and substantial in texture but spicy, intense and almost surprisingly dry—another pinot blanc that really should be served with food.
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