Browse Tag

pinot blanc

Hemo Kritt

[domaine]Gresser 2007 Pinot Blanc Kritt (France) – Fine-grained. Kritt wines tend to sort of suggest rather than define minerality, and while this is easy to discern in riesling from the site, it’s less immediately apparent in other grapes. Here, it’s a blended element, along with chilly, fresh-from-the-refrigerator apricot and nectarine, some grapefruit, and a surprisingly firm texture. This has been a house on the rise for a while, and the quality at this level is quite high for the price. (1/10)

Bar Graff

Graff Family Vineyards 2007 Pinot Blanc (Chalone) – 14.3%. Recognizably pinot blanc, in its apricot (plus apricot skin) and dulled bronze way, but this is a little drenched and weighty for the grape, and despite entirely decent acidity, the relatively minor layer of oak offsets any brightness or lightness the wine could use to combat that weight. I don’t want to overstate the criticism, however, because it’s a perfectly decent wine. (1/10)

Slender

Trimbach 2006 Pinot Blanc (Alsace) – These wines, fairly basic in their normal state, are best in years when either their minerality or their spice are allowed to shine, which I presume corresponds fairly directly to the length and heat of the season, respectively. This is one of the latter: stone fruit, as much crisp as ripe, with pretty baking spices. There’s a little bit of minerality, as well. One of the better examples amongst recent vintages. (1/10)

Left, vingt, right

Boxler 2002 Pinot Blanc “L20R” (Alsace) – An emergent minty note probably signals that this is approaching the end of its maturation and the beginning of its decline. For now, it’s still solid, with plenty of baking spice-infused pear and apple supported by both fair acidity and light residual sugar. Nice. But Boxler makes better pinot blanc than this bottling. (12/09)

Off Brand

Boxler 2001 Pinot Blanc “L20B” (Alsace) – Pinot blanc (and auxerrois) from the Brand, unable to be labeled as such because of Alsace’s often-ridiculous wine law. This wine shows the ridiculousness rather clearly, as it’s both terroir-revelatory and frankly extraordinary. In fact, it’s probably the best pinot blanc I’ve ever tasted…and of the contenders, a rather large number are from this house. Brand dominates, deep and moody with its glowering rocks, while the once-sunnier fruit has turned luscious and creamy. This is not a high-acid wine, by any means, but there’s certainly enough for the stage the wine’s in. What’s most fun is the combination of the intellectual pleasure of a terroir-revelatory wine in its mature glory and the massively appealing drinkability of the wine, which causes it to disappear all too quickly. I could probably drink a magnum of this all by myself, and still wish there was more. (7/09)

More Garfunkel, less Simon

Boxler 2006 Pinot Blanc “L20A” (Alsace) – Spiced apricot, with intensity (in the context of pinot blanc) yet avoiding fatness. There’s auxerrois here, of course, and thus the requisite spice…but it, too, is tamed and manageable. Otherwise, there’s just the right amount of crispness and light, especially into the finish. This isn’t Boxler’s best pinot blanc, but it’s a fine one, and still better than most. (7/09)

Gollum

[vineyard]Pierre Frick 2002 Pinot Blanc “Cuvée Précieuse” (Alsace) – Thick apricot with an incredibly dense texture that feels and tastes sugary, though I don’t think there’s much of any residual sugar here. Light oxidation only adds complexity. A really delicious wine, though one would be hard-pressed to identify it as pinot blanc. The next day, it has turned dark brown (it is sans soufre, after all), though this has no apparent affect on the organoleptics, which remain as the day before. (4/09)

Charmes school

[logo]Kreydenweiss 2001 Pinot Blanc Kritt “Les Charmes” (Alsace) – Creamy apricot, orangesicle, vanilla. The textures a bit gelato-like, but there’s enough acidity – just – to carry it off. Good, though it’s still Alsatian pinot blanc, and as such probably comes with a sort of qualitative ceiling. Still, the wine’s turning lush with creaminess, and you’ll probably want to drink this sooner rather than later. (3/09)

J.S. Trimbach

Trimbach 2005 Pinot Blanc (Alsace) – Apricot skin around a mostly transparent sphere of some light-minded metal. Good structure. Light, friendly, simple. (2/09)

Arnie

Palmer 2006 Pinot Blanc (North Fork) – Aromatically, this is quite enticing, showing ripe pear and vaguely citrusy notes with a little bit of spice and greengage plum. Unfortunately, the palate’s dominated by an off-putting synthetic quality. While there’s structural balance, it’s impossible to get past the plastic. A shame, because things were promising there for a while. (1/09)