We are just 6 days away from Pinot Blanc Day! In case you missed it last year, Pinot Blanc Day is being held this Sunday, August 23rd at our Oregon Road tasting room all day. We will be pouring complimentary flights of our 2012, 2013, and 2014 vintages of Reserve Pinot Blanc. (Music by Bryce Larsen 1-4pm)
What makes a Pinot Blanc so special?
Pinot Blanc is a really cool grape. It is actually a mutation of Pinot Noir and can have a very pretty pink/orange hue on the grape itself. The wines it can produce range from light, crisp, with zippy acidity and heady minerality (like ours!) to fuller-bodied oaked wines with an entirely different range of flavors. It’s a versatile grape that we don’t see enough of here in the states. We happen to have the largest contiguous planting of Pinot Blanc in the US right here at Lieb Cellars, which then explains why we are so well known for it! We have been making a varietal (meaning, fully made of) Pinot Blanc for over 15 years and we can’t seem to keep our hands on it! Also, full varietal Pinot Blancs are quite hard to find…
What are the chances you’ve already had a varietal Pinot Blanc?
If you have had a wine from Alsace labeled’ Pinot Blanc’ it is actually very likely that this was not a full varietal Pinot Blanc but rather a blend of PB with either Auxerrois blanc and Pinot Noir (or both). Finding a full varietal PB is rare, which is what makes ours so special. You may have also seen PB under other alias’ such as Weissburgunder or Klevner. Oh, and it is also used in Alsace to make a sparkling wine called Cremant d’Alsace. Aaand this is why studying wine can yield quite a headache…it’s not the sulfites. PB is a fun wine to explore in all its different styles, as the hand of the winemaker, the region, and the climate of the vintage has such an impact.
What should I pair with Pinot Blanc?
As we mentioned before, Pinot Blanc can really range in style. Our Pinot Blanc has no oak aging, and is grown in a region where salinity is in the air and the soil which means we have a really flinty, heady minerality and the acidity is pretty high. Our bone-dry Pinot Blanc is great for pairing with anything from the raw bar, or anything that has a lot of salt. Think salty cheeses, old school pates and charcuterie, fancy sardines on herby crackers.
Ok, that sounds delicious. Give me it.
If you can’t swing by on Sunday 12-7pm, our 2014 Pinot Blanc is for sale in our online shop! (Free shipping for orders over $40, i.e. 2 bottles!)
All online orders of 12+ bottles of wine.
