If you're looking for a reliable, affordable and versatile food wine, look no further than Pinot Blanc.
W. Blake Gray
Wednesday, 27-Dec-2023
A lot of people don't take Pinot Blanc seriously. It's the Alsatian equivalent of Italian Pinot Grigio, an easy-drinking wine for the general public. People who take it too seriously may be a bigger problem. Critics only love Pinot Blanc when the grapes are affected by botrytis and the wine is thick and sweet: all of the highest-rated Pinot Blancs are like this. In neighboring Germany, they confusingly call the grape Weissburgunder – for years I thought this meant Chardonnay – and they treat it like Chardonnay, with oak barrels and lees stirring, trying to turn it into something it's not.
What Pinot Blanc has going for it in Alsace is that, for some wineries, it's not an afterthought. It fits in nicely with the more-expensive variety Riesling because it thrives in different types of soil. And because Riesling is the top of the portfolio, there's no pressure to add value to Pinot Blanc by tarting it up with oak or botrytis.
It's a good time to jump on the Pinot Blanc train because the variety is well-suited to climate change.
"With the climate change, the last 10 years, the Pinot family benefits from the global warming," said Severine Schlumberger, co-owner of Domaines Schlumberger. "For the people who like Pinot Blanc now, they're going to like it even better in the future."
Let's look at what exactly Pinot Blanc is: a naturally occurring color mutation. Pinot Gris, a more important grape both worldwide and in Alsace, is itself a color mutation of Pinot Noir that was first described in the early 1700s. Pinot Gris is not really gray – "gris" – but instead has pinkish berries. In the late 1800s, French ampelographers discovered an even paler variation of Pinot Gris in two places in Burgundy: this is today's Pinot Blanc. Both Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc have the unusual characteristic of sometimes having different color berries on the same vine. Pinot Blanc is allowed in white Burgundy but almost no winery uses it.
Pinot Gris, which is more aromatic and can be used to make fuller-bodied wines, was embraced in Alsace and worldwide. Here is where I confess that personally, I'm not a fan. Most Americans unknowingly agree with me, which is why Pinot Grigio – overcropped Pinot Gris grapes from northern Italy that make a simple, fresh white wine – is far more popular than "more serious" Pinot Gris versions; i.e., boozy, low-acid wines that don't go well with dinner. Alsatians have traditionally done with Pinot Blanc what Italians do with Pinot Gris/Grigio: overcrop for a lighter wine.
There are two lines in the book "Wine Grapes" – published in 2012, a heavier wine era – about Pinot Blanc in Alsace that speak to me: "(Pinot Blanc) is regarded as workhorse variety and is much less respected than Pinot Gris. Admirers of freshness in wine can find some Pinot Gris overbearing whereas, in the right place and hands, Pinot Blanc can offer a lip-smacking halfway house between refreshment and opulence." Yes, that's it exactly! If you're an "admirer of freshness", Blanc is your Pinot.
"Pinot Blanc is really a great introduction to Alsace wines," said Christian Beyer, 14th-generation proprietor of Domaine Emile Beyer. "It really shows the easiest side of Alsace, this fruit-forward wine with nice balance and nice acidity. I usually say people should have a bottle of Pinot Blanc in the fridge for an emergency."
Time of change
There's an interesting change happening to Pinot Blanc in Alsace now. For decades, some vignerons regarded the grape Auxerrois – a genetic sibling of Chardonnay – to be the same as Pinot Blanc. They are both early-ripening white grapes, so they have often been harvested together and bottled together. But they are very different; Pinot Blanc has good freshness while Auxerrois is low-acid. This has traditionally made them good partners, and legally an Alsatian winery can call a wine "Pinot Blanc" even if it is 100-percent Auxerrois.
But while global warming is making Pinot Blanc grapes fruitier without damaging their freshness, Auxerrois is gradually edging toward irrelevance, and may need to be planted somewhere even cooler than Alsace, one of the coolest regions in France.
"We are trying to encourage our growers to reduce the use of Auxerrois," said Jean-Frederic Hugel, 13th generation proprietor of Famille Hugel. "It tends to produce very powerful wines, very high-alcohol wines, and lower acidity, which is everything we don't need at the moment."
That said, Melanie Pfister made my very favorite wine from the ones I tasted for this story, and she is also the only one who put Auxerrois on the label as she made it in a 50-50 blend with Pinot Blanc. When it works, it works beautifully: a crisp, fresh opening with a touch of weight on the midpalate and a surprisingly long finish.
"To me it was really important to mention that it was a blend," Pfister told Wine-Searcher. "Most of the Pinot Blancs sold in Alsace have some Auxerrois. Auxerrois brings something else. They are really different from each other. They are not brothers."
Pfister is one of the few Alsace vignerons who has old Pinot Blanc vines planted in one of the best spots in her estate. This is unusual because you can't call a Pinot Blanc "Grand Cru" even if it comes from a grand cru vineyard, so those tend to be reserved for Riesling. But her grandfather was a rebel: he even made his Rieslings dry when the fashion was against it.
"Pinot Blanc really has depth and the freshness I like," Pfister said. "We planted more last year. I take it seriously."
That hasn't been the case, but it may change.
"For a long time in Alsace, Pinot Blanc has been seen as the poor little brother of Riesling," Hugel said. "The reaction of the neighbors would be: 'You can afford Riesling. Why are you drinking Pinot Blanc?' Climate change has put Pinot blanc back on the map."
And for Hugel personally, dating outside his region has drastically increased the amount of Pinot Blanc he consumes.
"I rediscovered Pinot Blanc five to six years ago," Hugel told Wine-Searcher. "My partner is originally from Brittany. In the summer we spend a couple of weeks in Brittany every year. We eat oysters for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Pinot Blanc is absolutely my favorite wine to have with oysters. I strongly recommend a bone-dry Pinot Blanc like ours to have with oysters."
Noted! But in the course of this story, I also had Pinot Blanc with spicy Chinese takeout, Korean-style roast pork, Baltimore-style steamed shrimp, and sashimi. It goes well with just about anything, which is why Beyer keeps a bottle in his fridge for emergencies – dinner-pairing emergencies. Here are some Alsace Pinot Blancs that I recommend.
Albert Boxler Alsace Pinot Blanc 2020 A little more complexity than average, with notes of lanolin, white flowers and dry honeycomb adding interest to the fresh citrus fruit.
Emile Beyer Tradition Alsace Pinot Blanc 2020 Lemony and chalky on the nose, with bright, fresh citrus on the palate. It's all about the freshness but there is a roundness to the edges. If you get this by the glass that glass is probably empty faster than you expect.
Famille Hugel Cuvée Les Amours Alsace Pinot Blanc 2020 Lipsmacking up front and gains depth on the finish. It's lemony and a little oily, so not quite as lean and clean as some might prefer. But it will keep your attention.
Jean Rosen Alsace Pinot Blanc 2020 An inviting aroma of ripe pear and peach leads into a taut palate, with a central line of acidity and white peach all around it. White stones on the finish.
Mélanie Pfister Paar Alsace Pinot Blanc and Auxerrois 2021 You can taste the two different varieties in this wine. The Pinot Blanc opens up with crisp lemon peel, and on the midpalate the Auxerrois sweeps in and adds some body throughout the surprisingly long finish. This is refreshing enough for Pinot Blanc's traditional palate-cleansing role, but also interesting enough to sip on its own.
Meyer-Fonné Vieilles Vignes Alsace Pinot Blanc 2022 This is an archetype of modern Pinot Blanc: Fresh and likable, crisp citrus with a hint of stonefruit. Fruit-driven finish.