Pinot Blanc

It’s official. Spring is finally muscling its way in. I know this not because tiny buds are finally visible on the trees, not because I want to burn the sweater that five months ago I adored, and not because there was a brilliant blue swath of sky that mesmerized me on my walk home. I know that spring is here because I suddenly had an overwhelming desire for white wine.
Since starting this blog, I’ve given myself license to fulfill any craving I have at any time and I can’t recommend it enough. Sometimes I let the craving simmer and grow for a few days, but tonight I was all about instant gratification. I detoured into my neighborhood wine shop and left with a bottle of 2005 Kuentz-Bas Pinot Blanc from Alsace. What I didn’t realize until I got home was the name of the importer on the back, Kermit Lynch. I wasn’t surprised - I don’t know who Kermit is, but the guy’s got a good palate (and a great name). Over the years I have found that many of the moderately-priced French wines I enjoy have been imported by his company.
There are many great Pinot Blanc’s from regions in Italy, Germany, Austria, New Zealand and Oregon, but Pinot Blanc is especially known for being grown in Alsace, a region of France bordering mostly Germany and a little bit of Switzerland. Pinot Blanc from Alsace comes in the long, thin, green glass bottle that strikes fear in the heart of many wine buyers.
Repeat after me: tall thin bottle and green glass does not equal sweet wine.
It’s been said that Pinot Blanc can taste like Chardonnay, but frankly, I don’t buy it. To me, Pinot Blanc has a lot more acidity. It makes the back of your mouth sweat. And, it makes the perfect companion for the acidic tang of a fresh goat cheese. The flavor of Pinot Blanc leans towards apples and pears and a little apricot. There is a slight bitterness on the finish – it reminds me of when I was a kid and my mom would make apple pies. She’d peel green apples and I would sit in the kitchen and eat all the discarded peels that had a little bit of fleshy apple still attached to the tart and slightly bitter peel.
The texture is a little fuller-bodied than say, a Sauvignon Blanc. The texture of Sauvignon Blanc is like drinking non-fat milk; The texture of Pinot Blanc is like drinking 2%.
But enough wine lessons for the evening. Happy Spring, everyone.