Interest growing in white pinot noir in Sonoma, Mendocino counties

With a long, illustrious career as a key varietal in Champagne, pinot noir is no stranger to being stripped of its purple skin, the green flesh pressed, fermented and bubbled into one of the world’s most celebratory beverages.

But what would happen if the juice wasn’t filled with fizz? The answer is white pinot noir, a crisp, white oxymoron in a glass.

White pinot noir is rare, but its interest is definitely budding, especially among select winemakers in Sonoma and Mendocino counties. It’s started to appear on local wine lists, too, including at Willi’s Wine Bar in Santa Rosa.

“At first I thought white pinot noir sounded kind of gimmicky, but it can be a very fun wine,” said Elizabeth Taylor, general manager at Willi’s Wine Bar. “It’s interesting and unusual, but still accessible. We recently carried the Waits-Mast white pinot noir, and it was delicious and different. It also paired wonderfully with cheese.”

Is it white? Is it red?

With few exceptions, most red wines get their color from red grape skins, which have pigments called anthocyanins that stain the wine in a spectrum of red, purple and blue hues.

The pulp inside most red grapes, however, is usually clear, pale yellow or green. When red grapes are crushed, the pigmented skins can be separated immediately from the juice to make a white wine (like Champagne or white pinot noir), allowed to co-mingle briefly to make a rosé or left to macerate in the juice to create a red wine.

Pinot noir grapes destined for sparkling wine or white pinot noir tend to be picked earlier than their red-wine counterparts, to take advantage of higher acid levels that can yield brighter, fresher wines.

The winemaker’s decision to put the juice through malolactic fermentation or age it in stainless steel, oak or something else also affects the finished wine.

“At wine tastings, people are surprised to learn pinot noir can make a white wine,” said Brian Mast, co-owner of Waits-Mast Winery, which makes their wines in San Francisco. “But once I remind them about Champagne, that helps them connect the dots. I also have to explain that white pinot noir and pinot blanc are not the same thing. The grapes are related, but they make very different wines.”

At Waits-Mast, winemaker Shalini Sekhar likes to capture the bright freshness of the wine by fermenting and aging it in stainless steel. She finds the intertwining aromas of fresh citrus and distinct red cherries to be very “intriguing.

“There is a hint of red fruit that stands out, even though it’s a white wine,” Sekhar said. “White pinot noir may seem like an intellectual exercise, but it makes some damn delicious wine.”

For Sarah Wuethrich, winemaker at Maggy Hawk winery in Philo in Anderson Valley, producing a white pinot noir is nearly as enjoyable as the delight it brings wine tasters.

“What I love most is watching people’s expressions after they taste our white pinot noir,” Wuethrich said. “Some people have tried it before, but many haven’t. I get to witness them sort through how to categorize the wine in their head. It’s fascinating to watch.”

Wuethrich, who was inspired to make a white pinot noir after tasting expressions from Oregon’s Willamette Valley and Roederer Estate in Anderson Valley, produces Maggy Hawk’s version with fruit sourced from the northwest end of Anderson Valley. Rather than aging in stainless steel, Wuethrich opts for aging 10 months in neutral oak for a wine with “a silky texture … with aromas of Rainier cherry, sea salt and Bartlett pear … bright acid … and flavors of apricot, lemongrass and grapefruit rind.

“After people smell and taste the wine, I love watching a smile emerge as they’re pleasantly surprised,” Wuethrich said. “It’s priceless.”

Going against the grape

Mari Jones, president of Emeritus Vineyards in Sebastopol, had toyed for quite some time with the idea of adding a white pinot noir to the winery’s lineup.

Founded by her father, Brice Cutrer Jones, in 1999, Emeritus has long been considered an esteemed producer and grower of Russian River Valley pinot noir.

“But every time I asked my dad about making a white pinot, he would always say ‘no,’” Jones said. “He’s always felt that all our wines should offer the best, highest expression of our vineyards. He didn’t think a white pinot noir could do that.”

So when Jones began overseeing the winery, she went out on a limb.

“In 2017, our winemaker, David Lattin, came to me during harvest and said he had some incredible (pinot noir) juice he thought would make a great white wine,” Jones said. “I told him that was wonderful because I’d envisioned us making a white pinot noir that was really expressive, beautiful and complex.”

Jones told Lattin to got for it, but to not tell her dad. Barton was worried he would be fired. But Jones told him not to worry — she would be the one on the chopping block.

“After we made the wine, I brought it to my dad and asked him to taste it before saying anything,” Jones said. “He came back the next day and said he really liked it.”

For Jones, Emeritus’ white pinot noir shows a different side of their vineyards and the varietal itself.

“The wine has all these things you would never associate with red pinot noir, like tropical flowers, white fruits and peach blossom,” Jones said. “It’s a serious wine that’s complex and interesting, but it’s also easy to drink.”

Waits-Mast’s Sekhar agreed.

“You can make a white wine from other red grapes, but I don’t think you get the same sense of it being a complete wine,” she said. “Pinot noir is so expressive, so it’s not surprising that a white wine made with the grape would be equally so.”

You can reach Staff Writer Sarah Doyle at 707-521-5478 or sarah.doyle@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @whiskymuse.