Pinot Blanc: The Alsatian-Oregon connection

Take a chance on an up-and-coming white wine with a great pedigree

It’s hot--finally. This is the kind of day that calls for a chilled glass of Oregon white wine. So, you head for the wine section at your local grocery store. Plenty of good Chardonnay possibilities, quite a few options for Pinot Gris as well. But wait, what are these bottles of Pinot Blanc? Is that a wine Oregon is famous for? Let’s discuss.

It’s easy to reach for an Oregon Chardonnay or Pinot Gris because there are so many, and so many good ones. Pinot Gris is Oregon’s most widely planted white wine grape, according to the most recent Oregon Vineyard and Winery Census released by the Oregon Wine Board. The nearly 6,500 acres of Pinot Gris planted across the state represent nearly double the acreage devoted to Chardonnay. Vineyard owners have increased their planting of both varieties in recent years: Pinot Gris acreage increased 8.5% from 2022 to 2024 while Chardonnay acreage increased 11% during the same time. But only about 300 acres of Pinot Blanc are planted in Oregon, and that hasn’t changed much in the past few years. So, is it even worth seeking this wine out for a summer quaff?

I would recommend it, yes, especially for fans of Oregon’s distinctive Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines. The grape itself, also known as Pinot Bianco, is genetically related to the Pinot Noir grape, but mutations have resulted in a lighter color and a different set of flavors. European wine fans will recognize Pinot Blanc as an important grape in the sparkling Cremant d’Alsace wines, and that’s a tipoff about why Oregon’s Pinot Blanc is worth trying. The soil types common in Alsace, the border region between France and Germany, are very similar to Oregon’s: volcanic, clay, decomposed granite and calcium-rich fossilized shells. Coupled with the temperate climate and varied elevations in both regions, Oregon is poised to offer Pinot Blanc wines that rival their Alsatian cousins.

Oregon Pinot Gris is already well along that road. The best local examples rival their European counterparts but in a unique Northwest style. In Alsace, Pinot Gris produces a quintessential wine known for qualities of spice and smokiness on a base of crisp acidity. Some Alsatian Pinot Gris wines are made in an off-dry or sweeter style, all possible because of the grape’s versatility. Oregon’s Pinot Gris wines don’t offer that spicy, smoky note, but do lean into more citrusy and melon flavors with less minerality and more floral notes. Oregon winemakers are similarly building toward a distinct style of Pinot Blanc that could be just as distinctive as its Pinot Gris.

Comparative Tasting: Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Chardonnay

I tasted three Oregon wines side by side to see how we’re progressing locally with these varieties. The wines I chose should be reasonably easy to find in supermarket wine sections. I prioritized Willamette Valley grapes of recent vintages for as much of an “apples-to-apples” comparison as possible. The three bottles are:

• 2022 The Four Graces Pinot Blanc

• 2023 Elk Cove Estate Pinot Gris, and

• 2023 Stoller Dundee Hills Estate Chardonnay.

Each wine offered a distinctively Oregon take on its grape. The Stoller Chardonnay offered ripe melon and a hint of pineapple in the glass along with notes of honeysuckle and chalk. This wine is aged in stainless steel and concrete which preserves that soft minerality to offset a wine with medium acidity. Notably, this wine has received high ratings from wine experts, and those are well-deserved. This wine represents what is rapidly becoming Oregon’s signature Chardonnay style, one more reminiscent of French Chablis. The lean, mineral approach contrasts with California’s oaked buttery Chardonnays, just as Oregon’s cooler, wetter weather offers an alternative to the sun-drenched California river valleys.

The Elk Cove Pinot Gris proved to be just as racy and fun as you’d want on a summer day. In the glass, aromas of overripe apple and ripe pear are immediately apparent, and I picked up a hint of lemon zest underneath that. This wine has mineral notes as well, but it’s more wet stone than chalk. Elk Cove ferments this in stainless steel which preserves its freshness and lets the fruit shine through. This Pinot Gris checks in at a relatively high 13.5% alcohol with quite a bit more acidity than Chardonnay. That makes for a crisp, tart and refreshing sipper that is also quite highly rated across the board. It would work well with a chicken Caesar salad, mild curry or bay shrimp salad.

So, how does The Four Graces Pinot Blanc stack up against some strong competition? It holds its own. In fact, this wine draws from some of the best characteristics of both the Chardonnay and the Pinot Gris. It presents notes of freshly cut pear and white peach on the nose, along with white flowers and a hint of mushroom. It falls somewhere between the crispness of Pinot Gris and the layered nuance of Chardonnay. With a moderate alcohol level (12.3%) balanced by moderate acidity, this is a perfect wine for a summer afternoon. It’s great on its own as a wine with some depth and complexity that can be food-friendly but doesn’t have to be. This Pinot Blanc would be great with goat cheese and crackers, roasted pistachios or oysters on the half shell. Keep drinking it with grilled trout or another white fish and fresh vegetables.

Whether you’re a fan of Oregon Chardonnay or Pinot Gris (or both, or neither), it’s worth trying a bottle of Pinot Blanc right now. This just might be the time to catch it before it turns into Oregon’s next big wine.

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In the Glass

Let’s go back to Acrobat’s A to Z Pinot Noir (Issue 1) for a moment to learn a little bit about one of Oregon’s négociants. Pardon my French. What we’re talking about here is a winemaker, A to Z Wineworks, that obtains grapes from a variety of sources to make a very consistent style of wine. If you’ve seen names like Maison Louis Jadot, Louis Latour or Bouchard Père & Fils (parent to Oregon’s Beaux-Freres, as it happens) on bottles of French wine, then you’ve seen wine bottled by a négociant. Although some once had questionable reputations, most of these wine merchants are now vineyard owners as well as winemakers. In their case, the goal is defining and maintaining a “house style” as much as or more than elevating a particular vineyard site. What that means for you as a wine consumer is that when you find a négociant (French or American) whose wines you enjoy, future bottles are going to be reliably similar and enjoyable as well. This is not a case of better or worse. It just gives you a way to keep exploring the world of wine armed with more information that will help you find and enjoy new and familiar wines.

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On the Screen

Interesting article in Slate recently on the effects of wildfire smoke on Oregon’s wine industry. Next week, I’ll be sitting in on a presentation from the West Coast Smoke Exposure Task Force looking at the latest science and strategies surrounding wildfire smoke exposure for grapes and winemaking. More to come on that topic in a future newsletter.

The Pacific Northwest Wine Competition has released the results of its annual judging. One hundred sixty-eight wineries from around the Pacific Northwest participated. It’s a great place to browse for new wines to try from around the region. If you happen to be in the Columbia Gorge, it looks like Maryhill Winery would be worth the stop to try some of its many award-winning wines.

One question I’ve heard several times since I started the Gazette is what to look for at Trader Joe’s. I’m doing my research on some answers to that question as it relates to Oregon wine, but in the meantime, check out this overview of TJ’s wine selections from the Reverse Wine Snob. I’ve found it to be a great starting point, but I’ll come back to this question soon with specific answers for Oregon wine fans.