August Alsatian Pinot Blanc

I've written surprisingly few articles about Pinot Blanc over the years, though I love it more and more as time goes on. It's often confused as a variant spelling of Pinot Grigio, and while both grapes are light-skinned mutations of Pinot Noir, Blanc/Bianco is golden and Gris/Grigio is pink.

Gris is everywhere in varying levels of quality, while Blanc is not as widely cultivated but if you find a bottle, it is likely to be of the middle to higher tiers. I've had great Pinot Blanc from Oregon's cool climate, but these three come from Alsace. A delightful grape from one of my favorite regions is a great combination.

As summer winds down, these wines are absolutely wonderful with picnic fare and quiet weekend lunches on the patio.

2012 Louis Sipp Pinot Blanc
Alsace AOC
100% Pinot Blanc
$14, 12.5% abv.

Gentle ripe apple aromas with a dry flavor and a gentle mouthfeel. Balanced acidity, just beautiful.

2012 Emile Beyer Pinot Blanc Tradition
Alsace AOC
100% Pinot Blanc
$17, 13% abv.

Bartlett pear, just a touch of sweetness. Low acidity and a round mouthfeel. Fruit forward. I enjoyed it with a ham sandwich and potato salad, which, going by ingredients, is fairly authentic for the region.

2011 Maison Keuntz-Bas Pinot Blanc Tradition
Alsace AOC
100% Pinot Blanc
$16, 12.5% abv.

Light and mineral with a tiny hint of citrus peel. Medium acidity and a delicate finish. Highly recommended if, like me, you're a fan of the restrained style.

Note: These wines were provided as samples for review.

Brooks Oregon White Wines

I was first introduced to the Oregon winery Brooks during the Oregon Wine Board Dinner that I attended in NYC. Despite the tragic death of the founder, Jimi Brooks, other winemakers helped keep the winery in operation during that crucial harvest and today it remains strong. Having tasted their sweet dessert wine, I was excited to sample a pair of their white wines.

Oregon has a lot of small production wineries, and this is no exception. While you may not be able to find these wines in your local shop, they are available from the company's website while supplies last.

Do not get discouraged if you don't get to try these specific wines, but hopefully you will have the opportunity to explore some of their other wines, or look into another small production winery in the Willamette Valley. If I write about a movie, everyone can watch it on Netflix within moments. But with wine, there's a limited quantity of many of the most special wines, and rather than get bothered about the inability to taste them, take it as a chance to dig into the region.

2011 Brooks Runaway White
100% Pinot Blanc
Willamette Valley, Oregon
244 Cases Made
$15, 11.3% abv.

I've learned a lot about Pinot Blanc from Alsace and Oregon, and it's amazing how such a gentle grape can have such depth and diversity. This wine is bright and mineral with notes of apricot and lemon zest. Spicy, grassy finish. Practically a steal at the price, and should pair well with a nice bucket of steamed mussels. Try playing a little old school Joan Jett or Lita Ford along with this one.

2011 Brooks Ara Riesling
100% Riesling
Willamette Valley, Oregon
300 Cases Made
$25, 11.5% abv.

The 2006 release of this wine was served at President Obama's first state dinner in 2009, and I agree that it would be an excellent match with Indian-inspired cuisine. This vintage has an exotic nose of lychee and quince, with a totally dry yet highly acidic body. Delicious when chilled. Certainly a wine that shows off the way that Oregon is able to coax unique profiles out of classic grapes.

Note: These wines were provided as samples.

Super Bowl & Alsatian Pinot Blanc

I get a lot of press releases and wine samples asking me to endorse a certain holiday or event, but one that I agreed with wholeheartedly was the pairing of Alsatian white wines with the Super Bowl. Alsace is a part of France that is all about sausage, bacon, beans, and sauerkraut. Not only are these foods wonderful during the winter with the right wine, but you're likely to encounter such ingredients at any reputable Super Bowl party spread and I think you'll find that Alsatian wines (still and sparkling) go great with them. I tasted some of these with a traditional party dish incorporating tiny Frankfurters ("Li'l Smokies") braised in BBQ sauce.

Some of these white wines might seem a little austere on first sip, but add a little pork fat and salt and suddenly you can taste all of the great layers designed by the traditional family winemakers of the region. And if you read the company tasting notes in the original French, you'll see pairing suggestions for salted meats and cheese and other goodies.

Before I go any further, I'm not a huge fan of American football, but due to my year spent working in Cleveland I always root for the Browns. And thus, despite no particular interest in the San Francisco 49ers, I have to cheer against the Baltimore Ravens. (Explanation here)

2011 Domaines Schlumberger Pinot Blanc Les Princes Abbés
Alsace, France
70% Auxerrois, 30% Pinot Blanc
$14, 12.5% abv.

Light and thin with a little green apple. Probably the true textbook Alsatian Pinot Blanc, with a mild body that allows for pleasant and gentle sipping over the afternoon.

2009 Trimbach Pinot Blanc
Alsace, France
80% Auxerrois, 20% Pinot Blanc
$14, 12.5% abv.

Light and creamy with just a touch of lemon on the finish. Low acidity with a round mouthfeel. While not sweet, it reminds me a lot of a lemon meringue pie. This one goes exceptionally well with potato chips, where the crunch and salt activate the palate.

2009 Cuvée Les Amours "Hugel" Pinot Blanc
Alsace, France
100% Pinot Blanc
$16, 12% abv.

Very mild and restrained, mineral and a little earthy, well-aged. Aromas of wet stone and just the tiniest hints of red apple peel. This is what I consider a perfect Alsatian white, a tremendous bargain, and I'm going to go on a mild rant here about art. If you give a chimpanzee a brush and some paint, he might make something interesting if you grab the canvas at an opportune moment. Otherwise, Bonzo is going to keep going until the substrate is covered completely with a dark smear of paint and potential angry simian flingings. What separates human art from animal art is the decision to stop when it is right. I could take a wine and keep making it fruitier, more acidic, higher in alcohol, hell, I could end up with a bracing cordial if I kept to it. But the judicious decision to stop at some point is what truly separates us from the animals. The Beatles didn't need fifth or sixth musicians. The Mona Lisa didn't need some cherubs around her quizzical gaze. My wine doesn't have to go crazy in every direction in every glass.

Wines from France aren't the only ones that do subtlety and restraint, and there are plenty from Gaul that violate those concepts. But often I'll encounter wines like this one that remind me why that one country is so highly regarded in the realm of wine writing and criticism.

Note: These wines were received as samples.

Liquid Gold

If you open a lot of bottles of wine, it can begin to feel routine, almost mechanical. You uncork, sniff, swirl, take notes, sip, slurp, spit, take more notes, and rinse with some water before moving on to the next one. But even then, there are opportunities for recapturing the magic.

After a long Saturday date that included lunch and dinner, I was mulling over dessert and decided to introduce Julia to her first botrytized wine. I had this little half bottle of 2009 Royal Tokaji Mád Cuvée at the right temperature, and poured it into small brandy snifters. I didn't start talking about noble rot, but instead talked about all of the elements I got from the wine: clover blossoms, honeysuckle, balanced sweetness and acidity. Drops of sunshine. Summer in a glass.

It was the fifth or six bottle of wine I'd opened that day (I was working through samples), and that was the first one that really struck her and smelled interesting and distinct, not just like generic wine. I love tasting with people that are new and curious about this subject, and when there's a real epiphany it's delightful to watch. Plus, who isn't happy to taste a Hungarian dessert wine?

2009 Royal Tokaji Mád Cuvée
Mád, Hungary
75% Furmint, 15% Muscat, 10% Hárslevelű
Residual Sugar is 138.8g/L, placing it in the 5 Puttonyos level
$20/375mL, 9.5% abv.
Slightly musky but not overly so, with dominant aromas of honey, honeysuckle, and overripe peach. Little hints of jasmine. Exceptional balance, and considering how much sugar there is you wouldn't know it because of the bright acidity. This is a great bargain, and is highly recommended for the holidays. Serious wine drinkers as well as novices will appreciate it, and the attractive bottle is just begging for a simple ribbon tied around the neck.

(I've danced around the name a bit, because this isn't technically a Tokaji. The grapes and method are right, but by law it's a késői szüretelésű or late harvest wine. In America this specific wine is known as Mád Cuvée after the town, while in Hungary it goes by the name Áts Cuvée after the winemaker. But for all serving and pairing purposes, treat this like a Tokaji and enjoy the savings.)

I'm almost treating it as an afterthought at this point, but we also really enjoyed this white wine earlier in the day:

2010 WillaKenzie Estate Pinot Blanc
Yamhill-Carlton, Willamette Valley
$21, 13.5% abv.
An aroma of freshly cut Bartlett pear with a mild profile. On the palate it has a light fruit character with mild acidity and a good mineral finish. Later as it warms up, elements of wet stones and apricots show up. Quite lovely. I served this with a homemade chicken soup and crostini, where it made for a simple yet delicious Saturday afternoon lunch.

Note: These wines were received as samples.