WillaKenzie Pinot Blanc is an estate grown white wine from Oregon’s Willamette Valley and is made from 100% Pinot Blanc grapes. It has a pale yellow hue with medium concentration, and little variation on the rim. It offers moderate yet enticing aromas of pear, melon, citrus and green apples, with perhaps a touch of orange blossom. With flavors of Meyer lemon, peach, yellow apples and white flowers, this wine is an ideal accompaniment to Martha Stewart’s version of Shrimp Francese. The wine’s rich fruits and silky texture pair well with shrimp’s succulent sweetness, its ample acidity complements the dish’s lemony highlights, and the subtle almond flavors in the wine are enhanced by the nuttiness of Parmesan cheese. I especially like that this wine was vinified entirely in stainless steel with no oak barrels or malolactic fermentation, which serves to preserve the freshness and integrity of the fruit. The result is a crisp wine with bright acidity, that finishes dry with pleasant mineral notes.
When most people think about Pinot Blanc (there are those of us who actually do that), they tend to think about the Alsace, where Pinot Blanc is widely planted. Although not as appreciated as the region’s more well-known Riesling, Gewurztraminer and Pinot Gris grapes, I believe Alsatian Pinot Blanc offers the better wine value. Pinot Blanc, which is a genetic mutation of the Pinot Noir grape, is gaining a foothold in California and Oregon, as well. Great Pinot Blanc is being made at many of Napa Valley’s well known wineries, including Robert Foley, Robert Sinskey, and Artesa. I especially like the Pinot Blancs haling from Oregon’s Willamette Valley like the WillaKenzie Pinot Blanc, however. The region’s cool climate gives this grape a focused crispness, while maintaining all the lush juiciness one expects from the variety. In addition to WillaKenzie, look to many of Willamette’s other great producers such as Bethel Heights, Adelsheim, and Eyrie Vineyards for stunning examples of Pinot Blanc wines.
Grant Henry
2012 WillaKenzie Pinot Blanc
Pairs With Shrimp Francese
Price $22
Also pairs well with cheeses, chicken, egg dishes, fish, pork, shellfish, turkey, vegetables.
- Category White Wine
- Varietal Pinot Blanc
- Region Willamette Valley OR
