Starling Lane Winery

Pinot Blanc (also called Weissburgunder) was among the most successful vinifera varieties to emerge from the British Columbia vineyard trials sponsored in the late 1970s by Dr. Helmut Becker from Geisenheim University in Germany. Today, it has slipped to the fourth most widely planted white in British Columbia, at 320.5 acres – well behind Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Gewürztraminer.

The trouble with Pinot Blanc is that it is a chameleon variety that can be barrel fermented, or aged in oak, or fermented in steel tanks – and all the wines will be solid, but not distinctive. In my view, the best Pinot Blancs are not the faux Chardonnay styles but rather those where the winemaker lets the variety’s delicate fruit sing out loudly. Starling Lane’s John Wrinch, a radiologist in his other life, is one such winemaker. Starling Lane’s 2005 Pinot Blanc, of which only 75 cases were made, is a textbook fruit-forward example of what can be achieved by not copying Chardonnay.

Pale with greenish glints, the wine begins with hints of pear and banana on the nose. This carries through to the palate, with sparkling fresh flavours of pear, banana, citrus and apple slices, and with a minerality that gives weight and richness to the texture. The finish is crisp, tangy and, with a restrained 11.9% alcohol, appealingly fresh. It would be hard to find a better wine for seafood. 90 points.

Reviewed October 26, 2006 by John Schreiner.