One day I was scrolling through my Instagram feed, when I stumbled onto a review of a White Pinot Noir.  I paused and read through it.  A White Pinot Noir?  I pondered it and wondered if it was in the style of White Zinfandel.  If it was, I was not interested.  But if it wasn’t…well, if it wasn’t, this would be a very unique wine!

I’ve noticed a trend lately of taking traditionally red varietals and making them into white wines.  To create these wines the winemakers need to ensure minimal contact with the color giving skins of the grapes.  In the case of the White Pinot Noir I tasted from Left Coast Estate, careful attention was taken by fermenting the grapes in stainless steel at a cool temperature.  No oak was used.  This produced a Pinot Noir that is very clean and is, in fact, a white wine.

Left Coast Estate’s White Pinot Noir was created when the overcast and chilly “Bummer Summer” of 2011 produced slightly unripe grapes.  On the bottle they say, “Rather than trying to impose our will on the vineyards, we followed our winemaking philosophy of embracing the irregularities of each vintage and created White Pinot Noir.”

Description:

Left Coast Estate

2018 White Pinot Noir

13.7% Alcohol

Willamette Valley

Oregon

USA

Tasting Notes:

This wine is a very pale straw color, with no hint of any red hues.  There are floral aromas, like walking through a botanical garden on a lovely Spring day.  Light and refreshing with brilliant acidity, it features flavors of honeydew, white flowers, apricot and a white peppered lemon twist on the finish.  This wine is crisp and clean.  This is definitely not your ordinary Pinot Noir.  It lives and breathes as a white wine, and it is absolutely delightful!

Suggested Food Pairings:

I had this wine with sushi, and it was fantastic!  I also recommend salty meats and cheeses, green vegetables, and fried pickles.  Cheers!