Maggy Hawk offers two versions of Pinot Noir - a traditional red wine and a novel white wine.
Tucked away in the hidden pockets of Anderson Valley, an innovative winemaker is crafting White Pinot Noir.
Maggy Hawk winemaker Sarah Wuethrich says there are some absolutely perfect vineyards for making a white version of this celebrated red grape. In Mendocino County, surrounded by redwoods and blanked by coastal fog, these cool climate vineyards present the perfect terroir to craft this unique wine.
The White Pinot Noir, which retails for $60 per bottle, is made deliberately. “We do make the White Pinot Noir with intention from the get-go,” Wuethrich says.
Wuethrich personally selected a few blocks of their 115 clone Pinot Noir, which were purposely planted for making a white wine version. “Our vineyard team farms it a bit differently than they do for the red Pinot Noir,” Wuethrich says. “They encourage a more vigorus canopy and higher yields per vine, much like they do for sparkling wine production, with the goal of slowing down the ripening process.”
Wuethrich began making White Pinot Noir in 2018, and over the past six years, she’s experimented with “multiple yeast strains to aid in aromatic lift and complexity.” “But last vintage, 2023, I’ve decided to go with all ambient yeast with native fermentation on all of my Maggy Hawk wines,” she says.
After carefully selecting and growing the grapes, once harvested, Wuethrich barrel-ferments the wine in 100 percent neutral French oak. “The older the narrel, the better,” she says. She ferments her red Pinot Noirs in open-top stainless steel tanks with a four to five day cold soak. The White Pinot Noir is also aged for 10 months, while her red Pinot Noirs for Maggy Hawk are aged for two winters or about 16 to 17 months.
“Our White Pinot Noir is essential a riper version of a blanc de noir base wine for sparkling,” she explains, pointing out that Pinot Noir is traditionally used in sparkling wines. “It shows its lineage to red Pinot Noir in the texture, the way it stretches or fans out over your palate, its rounded edges, with supple weight. I’m a big fan of wines with texture so I really try to pay attention to how it feels when I’m creating Pinot Noir - whether it’s the Maggy Hawk Jolie, which is red, or the White Pinot Noir.”
The wine, while growing in popularity, is still produced in pretty small quantities - only 300 cases annually. “There’s no specific target market in mind here,” she says. “I just make it for folks who enjoy a serious, delicious and unique white wine.”
The White Pinot Noir offers nuanced cherry and plum aromatic, and it is delicate and silky with medium weight and acidity. Spice and fruit aromas lead with chamomile, tarragon, apricot, pear, and white raspberry, while on the palate the acidity brings a lengthy, smooth finish.
Wuethrich says she was inspired by the White Pinot Noir making in the Willamette Valley in Oregon. “It’s becoming more and more popular, for sure,” Wuethrich says. “Be sure to check out versions form Waits Mast, Brashley, Lichen Estate and Long Meadow Ranch, which also source from Anderson Valley Pinot Noir.”
White Pinot Noir is a really good wine for pairing with food. “It’s such a versatile food-pairing wine,” she says. “Its broader, silky texture and great acidity make it a good partner alongside seafood risotto, Thai or Vietnamese dishes, oysters and frites or a selection of aged cheese.”
