Eos 2008 Reserve Pinot Blanc

Winemaker Comments

One of my first jobs in the wine business was working for Laetitia Winery in Arroyo Grande, within view of the cold Pacific Ocean. Pinot Blanc was planted at Laetitia by Champagne Deutz when they founded this winery in the early 1980’s, and the variety has always made up a part of the cuvée for their delicious California sparkling wines. The winemaker at the time also made a small amount of still wine from these vines, which I developed a fondness for; barrel fermented and a bit of a ‘baby Chardonnay.’

When I had the opportunity to work with one of Laetitia’s Chardonnay vineyards in 2008 for a Central Coast project, they also offered us some Pinot Blanc as a blending piece. I jumped at the chance to work with the fruit from these mature hillside vines. It turned out so well, that we saved some to bottle on its own to share with you.

This ‘Pinot Blanc’ is a bit mislabeled in California – in truth, it is an old variety from Burgundy, known as ‘Melon de Bourgogne’ or in France’s Loire Valley as ‘Muscadet,’ where it is made into a wine of the same name, which is very crisp, with great minerality, (and a special affinity for oysters and other raw shellfish!)