Pinot Blanc earns attention in Oregon, British Columbia

In the last few years, I’ve tasted delicious examples of Pinot Blanc, and I wish more of them came across my panels at the competitions I judge across the country.

Pinot Blanc, a common vitis vinifera variety, is often overlooked. It’s a white mutation of Pinot Noir, which helps explain why Oregon winemakers have achieved success with it.

This decade has seen increased vineyard investment in Pinot Blanc in Oregon, which is now devoting slightly more acreage to the grape than British Columbia, a region where the variety has been researched and appreciated by winemakers and growers. Barbara Philip, Canada’s first female Master of Wine, wrote her thesis on Pinot Blanc and its place in the Okanagan Valley.

My own interest in Pinot Blanc prompted me to look into some of the stylistic differences surrounding the grape within the Pacific Northwest and beyond. 

Plantings of Pinot Blanc are throughout Europe, including France, Italy, Germany, Austria and Spain, but also Luxembourg, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Portugal, Switzerland, Belgium, Bulgaria. It’s also found on the Mediterranean island of Malta, South Africa, Argentina, Uruguay, New Zealand and Australia.

North America

On our continent, Pinot Blanc has a presence in California, Michigan, New York and the Pacific Northwest. Thirty years ago, it was rather prolific in the Golden State, with the University of California-Davis recording about 2,000 acres of Pinot Blanc in the ground. By 2014, that figure had fallen to 422 acres. The 2022 California Department of Food and Agriculture report has Pinot Blanc all the way down to 261 acres.

That would mean last year Oregon became the largest producer of Pinot Blanc on the continent. The 2022 Oregon Vineyard and Winery Report noted there were 300 acres planted for the 2022 vintage, reflecting a remarkable addition of 49 acres from the previous year. In the Willamette Valley, stone fruit, orchard fruit, and citrus come forward, with minerality a common thread. 

In British Columbia, the early history of Pinot Blanc in the Okanagan Valley is tied to acclaimed German researcher Helmut Becker, who made it part of his storied Becker Project from 1976 to 1984. There are now 242 acres of Pinot Blanc planted, making it the No. 6 white variety and accounting for about 5 percent of the province’s white grape harvest for the 2022 harvest. Those wines often showcase green apple notes with stone fruit, citrus and subtle herbs joining minerality.

There are no figures regarding variety breakdown by acreage for Washington state’s Pinot Blanc. The resulting wines tend to show minerality with stone fruit, almonds and citrus notes. 

According to the Idaho Wine Commission, there are no sizable commercial plantings of Pinot Blanc.

Here are some of the recent impressive examples of Pinot Blanc that I’ve evaluated from the Pacific Northwest:

Left Coast Estate 2021 Left Bank Pinot Blanc, Willamette Valley, $26:  Expressive aromas of stone fruit and delicate florals rise from the glass. Broadening on the palate are layers of fresh sliced peaches, lemon-lime, apricots, minerality and Marcona almonds. The texture is creamy; it is finely balanced, and orange accents shine on the long finish.

WillaKenzie Estate 2021 Pinot Blanc, Yamhill-Carlton, $32: Richly textured with balancing acidity, this gem displays a lemon blossoms aroma. It’s buoyant on the palate as Meyer lemon, Asian pears, blanched almonds, hints of lemon herb tisane, minerality and a sprinkling of spice interlace. There’s a long and energetic finish.

Château Ste. Michelle 2021 Flying M Farms Pinot Blanc, Yakima Valley $26:  Scents of fresh-squeezed grapefruit pave the way for this sleek, mineral-driven Pinot Blanc. Brisk acidity supports juicy kiwi, blanched almonds, crushed lemon thyme and fresh white peaches, which light up the palate. It stays crisp and clean through the long, citrus-scented finish.

Hester Creek Estate Winery 2022 Old Vine Pinot Blanc, Okanagan Valley, $19.99: From the Golden Mile Bench, the British Columbia wine industry’s first sub-geographical indication, comes this nicely aromatic bright wine. Flavors of Granny Smith apples, juicy nectarines, a twist of lemon and faint herbaceousness flows harmoniously across the palate. It’s well-balanced with a lingering finish.

Willamette Valley Vineyards 2022 Pinot Blanc, Tualatin Hills, $30: The lovely apple blossom aromatics lead to a succulent blast of vivid flavors. Yellow apples, nectarines, lemon drops, summer melon and minerally notes commingle with tingling acidity. The texture is heavenly, and the honeysuckle-tinged finish is uplifting.

France

As recently as 1988, nearly 4,000 acres of Pinot Blanc were planted throughout France. Even though it is believed to have originated in Burgundy, not much acreage remains there. It also can be found in Champagne because Pinot Blanc is one of the grapes allowed in the Champagne Appellation Originale Contractualisée (AOC).

Pinot Blanc has found a home in the Alsace. While it is not classified as one of the region’s four “noble” varieties — Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris and Muscat — according to Wines of Alsace, there is more acreage devoted to Pinot Blanc (21.5%) than even Riesling (20.9%).

There are an estimated 3,000 acres of Pinot Blanc planted in Alsace, where it often is referred to as either Clevner or Kleven and blended with Auxerrois into a popular still wine. However, much of the Pinot Blanc in that region serves as the base for acclaimed Crémant d’Alsace sparkling wine. As a still wine, the profile of Pinot Blanc from Alsace leans to red apples and spice accents, a rounded texture. Occasionally, it sees some oak.

Italy

Pinot Blanc is known in Italy as Pinot Bianco and fares well in Trentino-Alto Adige, near the northern borders with Austria and Switzerland. There it is crisp and vibrant, taking on thirst-quenching citrus, pear and apple flavors. The Friuli region, in the northeastern part of Italy, produces both still and sparkling Pinot Bianco. Here, this variety delivers an aroma of spring wildflowers and a palate of peaches, yellow apples, lemon/lime and flintiness. 

Tuscany, in central Italy, crafts Pinot Bianco wines that exhibit citrus blossom aromas, minerally tones, peaches and tropical fruit. When blended with Chardonnay and barrel-treated, the wine can show a creamier texture and oak nuances.

Germany

Known as Weissburgunder, this grape is grown in nearly every wine region of Germany, but it is perhaps most broadly rooted in southern sunny climates. Five years ago, there were reportedly about 14,000 acres of Pinot Blanc.

It is well suited to Baden — a warm region — where the wine presents a round mouthfeel while maintaining crispness with flavors of apple, pineapple, minerally tones and fresh-squeezed lemon. Weissburgunder in the Rheinhessen region is planted in sunshine-blessed rolling hills. These wines showcase floral aromatics and a crisp palate of stone fruit, citrus elements, minerality and spice accents. In the Pfalz region, the flavor profile often captures spiced green apples, lemon tones and minerality. This region boasts the world’s largest wine festival, the Wurstmarkt.

Austria

Here, too, Pinot Blanc is called Weissburgunder, and sometimes Klevner. While not planted as widely as Grüner Veltliner, Austria has given the variety well-deserved attention. At times, it is blended with Chardonnay and sees oak. It is grown in multiple regions, including Burgenland and Thermenregion. Flavors of quince, vanilla, loquat, blanched almonds and pineapple are typically displayed. 

Sumptuously sweet trockenbeerenauslese wines are crafted from botrytized Weissburgunder grapes in the Neusiedlersee region.