2022 Pinot Bianco

85% Pinot Bianco, 10% Chardonnay, 5% Tocai Friulano

Flavor Notes
Caramel and buttered toast aromas from the fermented Tocai Friulano and Chardonnay create a pleasant complexity against Pinot Bianco’s classic banana flavors—think banana foster or crème brûlée. Rounded texture on the mid palate ends in a crisp, clean finish.

Philosophy
The Mari Pinot Bianco is built with textural complexity rather than showy aromatics. We pushed fruity Pinot Bianco out of its usual orbit by strategically blending in a tea-like cofermented tincture of Tocai Friulano and Chardonnay—indicative of Winemaker Sean O’Keefe’s focus on the subtle interplay of lees, skin contact, acidity, and structure. Keeping the Friulano/Chardonnay blend on skin for 42 days was successful in allowing tannins to both build and soften over time, granting the wine an interesting roundness and flavor profile. 

Vinification
The Pinot Bianco was harvested on October 14th, 2022, and began fermentation in a stainless steel tank before transferring to a variety of neutral oak demi muids and hogshead barrels. The Tocai Friulano and Chardonnay cofermented in a small bin, on skin, for 42 days before racking into stainless steel kegs. The coferment was blended into the Pinot Bianco barrels in February 2022. The wine went through malolactic fermentation, softening and rounding everything out. After aging for 18 months, the finished blend was bottled June 7th, 2023.

Pairing
Pinot Bianco’s fuller body allows it to stand up to rich and creamy dishes. We recommend pairing with an herbed roasted chicken and white sauce—try fettuccine
alfredo with shallots and mushrooms.

Cellaring
This wine will age nicely through 2028, due to skin contact and lees aging.