Blindfold 2021 Blanc de Noir White Pinot Noir

You may need to do a doubletake on this photograph. Yes, it is a bottle and glass of Pinot Noir, but it is a glowing, platinum gold color.

This is the Prisoner Wine Company’s white Pinot Noir, Blindfold. It is also labeled Blanc de Noir, meaning a white wine created from red grapes.

I picked this up from the closeout section of a local grocery. They have some very good wines so I usually swing by the wine section to look for bargains.

Red wines derive their color from contact with the grape skins (maceration). For white wines, the grapes are pressed and the skins are removed before fermentation.

My experience with white Pinot Noir is mixed at best. While it is cool to have a Pinot Noir that is white, I’m still looking to sip a great wine. Blindfold falls short of that mark.

Let me explain. The SRP for this Blanc de Noir is $35 but I picked it up for half price. For under $20, you can pick up a lower-end Oregon Pinot Noir that will satisfy you in every way and deliver a wine that checks all the varietal hallmarks.

Blindfold isn’t a great white wine and certainly isn’t a great Pinot Noir. For that matter, it isn’t 100% Pinot Noir. It has small amounts of Viognier and Gewürztraminer.

I opted to chill the wine, but let it warm a bit more than I would for, say, a Sauvignon Blanc. The aroma gives no hint that it is mostly Pinot Noir. Instead, there are citrus notes.

This isn’t a wine that tastes like a red but simply looks white. It drinks like a white wine with notes of white blossom and peach. Also, the wine is lacking in the texture and depth that make Pinot Noir a special wine.

Blindfold isn’t terrible, but it is a disappointment at $35. If it weren’t a white Pinot Noir, it would be a non-descript white wine. To amuse dinner guests, you could serve this and have everyone try to guess the variety. Instead, I would suggest picking up a nice French Chablis or Russian River Valley Pinot Noir.