"Pinot Blanc is a white wine grape. It is a point genetic mutation of Pinot Noir. Pinot Noir is genetically unstable and will occasionally experience a point mutation in which a vine bears all black fruit except for one cane which produced white fruit." - Excerpt from Wikipedia
So there you have it. For all the people who don't like Pinot Noir this is proof that even the grapes themselves don't want to be a Pinot Noir and rebel by mutating.
"A mutant is an individual, organism, or new genetic character, arising or resulting from an instance of mutation, which is a base-pair sequence change within the DNA of a gene or chromosome of an organism resulting in the creation of a new character or trait not found in the wild type." - Wikipedia
The good news is that thanks to this "mutation" we have the pleasure of being able to enjoy this wonderful wine. Pinot Blanc offer fruity aromas of white peach, apple and citrus fruit. It can have wonderfully strong floral characteristics, stone fruits, and a wonderful minerality. In hot climates or warm years it can make intense rich wines with lower acidity, while in cool climates or cooler years it can be a beautiful crisp elegant wine. In either case it is very complementary to food and can also be a beautiful sipping wine.
It is mostly found in Germany as Weissburgunder, France as Pinot Blanc, Alsace as Klevner, Italy as Pinot Bianco, Hungary as Feher Burgundi, and in the Czech Republic as Rulandske Biele. Pinot Blanc is very suitable to the climate of Long Island. It can do well in our hot seasons as well as in the cooler times. It is a great wine to go with local seafood and, in the case of Alsace (Crémant d'Alsace), can make a wonderful sparkling wine with Lieb Cellars being one of Long Island's most successful proponents.
To discuss the pairing of food with Pinot Blanc, well-known restaurateur and Chef - Colin Ambrose of Estia's Little Kitchen (Sag Harbor, NY) - talked with us about his love of cooking:
When and why did you start cooking and what was your biggest influence?
I started professionally in Amagansett at Estia's...However, my biggest influence was the people I studied and learned from when I was in the magazine business. I was the owner of Top Shelf (a trade magazine for beverage and bars) and it had a circulation of 300,000 which went to restaurant/bar operators. I was also managing the bar side of a restaurant in Fairfield, Connecticut. My job at the magazine was to define changes and opportunities for beverage companies specific to bars. I spent a lot of time focused on high-end restaurants. My key influences were Alice Waters, Charlie Palmer, and Jeremiah Tower.
Name one of your signature dishes that go best with Pinot Blanc?
Our potato crusted flounder - I started doing this in 1995. This is a light dish that pairs well with Pinot Blanc.
Where do you get your ingredients?
I obtain them from a variety of sources. I buy most of my vegetables from a local organic farm in Sag Harbor and the Foster farm in Sagaponack. My fish come from Gosman's in Montauk...they have a large retail operation on the docks in Montauk.
What do you do to make this dish special?
We shred potatoes when ordered - we don't hold them for a long period of time. We shred and rinse in water, dry and lay fresh flounder over that and crisp in vegetable oil. This is a soft sweet fish combined with a crisp layer of potatoes.
Why does this dish go well with Pinot Blanc?
This is a light crisp wine and the dish has some of the same attributes – light and crisp, enhanced by summer flavors from vegetables.
What makes you more adventurous then other chefs when it comes to cooking?
I don't think I am more adventurous but I work from what I know and from other chefs. Basically I believe you must obtain the best ingredients and keep it simple. The faster we can take a dish from the source to the plate the more dignity the dish will have.
What can turn boring home cooking into fun?
Finding new techniques. We like to try what in some cases would be thrown away as byproducts. As an example: one recipe we developed is our pan seared duck breast served with braised beet greens (normally thrown away). We buy local beets and feature roasted beets in salads which are very popular. The beet greens are sometimes thrown away by other kitchens but we choose to braise them. We also use leek greens and when shredded and braised this is great. We also take rendered duck fat and soak sliced peach halves(we have peach trees at our restaurant) in duck fat for an hour and take them out and grill them - makes for wonderful taste with smokey peachy flavor and goes great with duck.
What was your greatest moment as a chef?
Every day I spend in my kitchen is a remarkable opportunity to build a menu and go from a guy who was selling a magazine to 300,000 bars and restaurants to owning my own restaurant. But most important are the times spent cooking with my three daughters who all love to learn about flavor profiles. Recently we peeled ginger to use in a dish and I know that the smells of that evening, the food, will linger as a lovely memory. Food overwhelms everything as far as great memories are concerned.
To discuss the Pinot Blanc of Long Island, we spoke with Winemaker Miguel Martin of Palmer Vineyards:
Name of your Pinot Blanc?
Palmer Vineyards 2009 Pinot Blanc.
What is special about your Pinot Blanc?
This wine is selected from our 2 acre vineyard located in Aqueboque and is dry farmed on sandy loam soil. The grapes are carefully hand harvested and the yield (1.2 t/a ) is very low in order to concentrate and enhance the intensity of flavors. I do not practice pre-fermentation maceration but I like post fermentation lees contact in tank. Aromas during the fermentation are very delicate such as peaches, honeydew melon and ripe pear. These aromas remain intact and the post fermentation flavors create a complex wine. Old vintages of Pinot Blanc are amazing.
What is important in the vineyard when growing and picking Pinot Blanc?
Attention to detail in the vineyard is needed as this grape variety has a tendency to attract diseases towards the end of the maturity cycle. We do leaf removal on the basal leaves and leave one cluster per shoot. Grapes are sorted in the vineyard; the pickers harvest only the finest bunches in the early hours of the day.
What is your goal when you make this wine in the cellar?
To maximize the delicate varietal character and to deliver them after they open a bottle. I will be very happy if the experience that they have with this wine will remain for a long time.
What is the best Pinot Blanc you ever had?
The best Pinot Blanc I have ever had was 2002 Domaine Henri Gouges. The palate was savory but fresh, still with a lovely acidity and with a pear and lemony freshness to the nutty, creamy aftertaste, showing great definition and varietal.
What Pinot Blanc do you recommend people try?
I, of course, recommend them to try Palmer Vineyards Pinot Blanc and try to save a few bottles and see the evolution of this wine over time. Exploring other Pinot Blanc wines from different regions such as Oregon, Alsace, and Bourgogne could be an extraordinary experience. This definitely is a white wine worth aging in your wine cellar.
What is the most difficult thing about your role as a winemaker?
Trying to communicate that wine is a food and there is nothing better than the intersection of food and wine. I like to motivate people to try new wines, be adventurous and to get the total immersion of the world of wine. For the most part, the feedback from people makes my work worth it.
Pinot Blanc has also been confused with Chardonnay, and wineries often make it in a similar style, using barrel fermentation, new oak, and malolactic fermentation. However in the hands of our skilled Long Island winemakers with a passion to make elegant, fresh, and vibrant wines it is distinctly showing as a true Pinot Blanc (or did someone blend some chardonnay into this)? Another mutation perhaps?
