Biodynamic. Dry. In Alsace, the term ‘Pinot Blanc’ can be used to describe wines made from any or all of the following grapes: Pinot Blanc; Auxerrois; Pinot Gris; and Pinot Noir. Weinbach’s Pinot Blanc is a blend of 70% Auxerrois and just 30% Pinot Blanc. For the fellow nerds—recent studies of grape DNA fingerprints imply that Auxerrois is a cross between Gouais Blanc and Pinot Noir.
Weinbach’s blend comes from the Clos des Capucins (with 45-year-old vines) and a plot from the limestone/clay soils at the foot of the Altenbourg vineyard. As with the dry Rieslings, the Pinot Blanc was whole-bunch pressed, then fermented and raised over eight months in large-format wood (previous vintages were raised in tank).