Sweet creamy pear and crisp citrus with lemon-lime zest in both the scent and flavors of this lovely wine make it a unique and delicious Pinot blanc. Pinot blanc can be a somewhat austere, light wine, but not here. The flavor has a lush quality not common to Pinot blanc, not out of keeping with its varietal character, but "Blanc to the max". It's a very forward wine, with "creamy" a descriptor that comes back again and again as we worked on describing this wine. It lacks that minerality present in the finish of some Pinot blancs, but has everything else in wonderful bounty. Very special.
Detailed Info, Previous Vintage Notes, Reviews:
Pinot Blanc has always been a grape variety that begs for the winemaker to put their stylistic stamp on the wine. Pinot Blanc is a blank slate that can be taken in any number of directions can range in style from the uncomplex, light and fruity Pinot Biancos of northern Italy to the complex renditions out of California that are treated like chardonnay with barrel fermentation, lees stirring and full malolactic ferments.
This light-skinned descendent of Pinot Gris is typically a creamy, fairly full-bodied white, with flavors that suggest pears, peaches, apricot and sometimes melon. A complex, floral nose of warm spice and ripe fruit often with a touch of orange peel or some other citrus notes.
Pinot Blanc almost certainly originated in Burgundy, where it once flourished alongside chardonnay in the C?tes d'Or. When the appellation Control?e system was instituted in 1937, defining which grape varieties would be permitted in Burgundy, Pinot Blanc lost out to Chardonnay. Today, while some patches may be found in Burgundy, most of the Pinot Blanc grown in France is found in Alsace.
Pinot blanc is still allowed in both the M?connais and wine labeled "Bourgogne Blanc", but plantings are nearly phased out of the Burgundy appellation.
It's a great accompaniment to veggies and cheese-based dishes, as well as a simple herb-stuffed roast chicken, fish and onion tarts. Typically I'd pair an onion tart with a Riesling or a Gew?rztraminer but the Apolloni Pinot Blanc is complex enough to compliment the heartiest of Alsatian faire. - M.S.
