One of the wines that is so special to us is Pinot Blanc, as it is not very commonly found in the US and has become the wine we are best known for under the Lieb Cellars label. Take a closer look at Pinot Blanc and what makes this grape so special!
What makes a Pinot Blanc so special?
Pinot Blanc is a really cool grape. It is actually a cousin 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 as the original planting in our 54-acres vineyards, which then explains why we are so well known for it! We have been making a varietal (meaning, fully made of) Pinot Blanc since the mid 90s 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.
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