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.

These Italian Wines Make Any Occasion Special

The new year is underway and the holiday scene has passed by in a blur. But here are three reasons you can enliven any day to a special occasion.

We recently sampled three delightful wines from Italy. They run the gamut from a refreshing white to a Piedmont red to an Asti sparkler.

Riva Leone 2021 Gavi DOCG

The Piedmont region, in the northwest region of Italy, is best known for dynamic reds like Barolo and Barbaresco which are based on the Nebbiolo grape. It also produces a couple of my favorite whites, Gavi and Arneis.

We were pleased to pop open the 2021 Gavi from Riva Leone. Gavi is made from the Cortese grape and is crisp and floral.

It’s a classic wine with racy and fresh flavors with notes of pear and the aroma of pears. We opened it to accompany a light vegan Indian-inspired meal. The price is as refreshing as its taste, $15 SRP.

Riva Leone 2021 Barbera DOC

The reds of the Piedmont region have plentiful acidity which gives the big reds longevity and makes the lighter styles nicely refreshing. I find myself looking for Barbera when I’m tired of big, whomping, Cabernet Sauvignon wines. Its lighter body makes it well-suited for lighter entrees or casual sipping. Bringing out a bottle of Italian Barbera has much more panache than pulling out an uninspiring domestic wine.

For about $12, this Riva Leone Barbera is certainly a value leader. In the glass, it is a deep ruby color. On the nose enjoy whiffs of black cherry and spice. On the palate enjoy dark fruit flavors and accents of spice. There is plenty of rich fruit on the finish.

Acquesi Asti Spumante

We have enjoyed Acquesi on a couple prior occasions. Asti is traditionally a semi-sweet to sweet wine. It’s a fully sparkling wine, unlike Moscato, which is frizzante (lightly sparkling). This is a perfect wine for those who enjoy sweeter wines.

It is a delicate yellow in the glass with a nice perlage. There’s a lovely floral aroma and palate notes of honey, peach, and citrus.

The bottle is beautiful and the wine is suitable for toasting and also would be a great pick to pair with desserts pastries, baked desserts, or desserts with cream. The SRP is $18.

These three wines can help you dispel any dreary winter night and transform it into a special occasion.

Full disclosure: These wines were received as a marketing sample.

Miguel Torres Chile Targets Zero Emissions With Tasteful, Organic Wines

Familia Torres, a well-known winemaking family in Spain, has been producing wine for more than 150 years and five generations. Torres was the first foreign winery in Chile and they produced the first Pinot Noir in that country.

Miguel Torres Chile today is under the guidance of Miguel Torres Maczassek. Their wine business in Chile is built on three pillars: organic farming, sustainability, and innovation.

Their goal is to reach net zero emissions by 2050, a tall order for any winery. In 2021 they attained a 35% reduction in CO2 emissions per bottle with a goal to reach a 60% reduction by 2030.

Green practices from vineyard to bottle are helping on the pathway to net zero emissions. Three main practices include:

Waste management: The winery approaches its industrial waste by installing clean points, reducing the generation of single-use plastic and using elements for packaging that are designed for recycling. They reduced the weight of 3 out of every 4 bottles produced, becoming one of the most significant reductions in the industry, now being 38% lighter. That’s less waste produced and less fuel to ship the wine.

Renewable energy:  Two photovoltaic arrays of solar panels are installed in the winery in the Curicó Valley. One  generates power for the winemaking process; and the other for the production process, such as bottling and labeling. These projects together with the biomass boilers self-generate 30% of clean energy.

Sustainable viticulture: This involves regenerative viticulture, which seeks to imitate nature as much as possible so that vineyards can become natural ecosystems. The winery applies this practice in its vineyards to reach a new balance based on the increase of biodiversity and organic matter in a natural way, thus enabling the vineyards to absorb more atmospheric CO2.

We contemplated these impressive environmental actions while sipping three bottles from the Miguel Torres Chile “Las Mulas” label. We sampled the 2021 Sauvignon Blanc, 2022 Rose, and the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon, all made with organically grown grapes. 

The rosé comes from the Central Valley and is a blend of Pinot Noir and Monastrell (also known as Mourvèdre in France). This is a cheerful wine with delicate notes of fresh raspberries and ample acidity. This is a great aperitif or pairing with a light, casual meal.

Pale yellow in the glass, the Sauvignon Blanc is subtle, with a wafting aroma of tropical fruit. On the palate, it tastes of lychee fruit, freshly mown grass, and charming citrus fruit. This is perfect for baked or sauteed fish with light sauce. It’s truly wonderful on its own as well.

Las Mulas Cabernet Sauvignon was a satisfying surprise. All three of these bottles sell for about $10, but the Cabernet is loaded with flavor and outperforms other wines that are double the cost. I brought this to my weekly wine tasting with my friend Arthur Barham (Merlot 2 Muscadine). The flavors are rich, with prominent red fruit and accents of spice. It’s round and elegant with tannins providing a light and easy structure. The finish was buoyant and long. This is a tremendous deal at the price.

We suggest you cheer Miguel Torres Chile on their way to zero net emissions by toasting with a bottle of their Las Mulas wine!

Full disclosure: These wines were received as marketing samples.