What wine is lightest and fullest between pinot noir sauvignon blanc and chardonnay?

Answer 1

Your question is nearly contradictory, on several levels. "Lightest" and "fullest," while not quite antonyms, are certainly nearly so. Furthermore, you're asking about two white wines (chardonnay and sauvignon blanc) and a red (pinot noir), which are two very different animals. And finally, it's all but impossible to answer such a broad question. There are "light" and "full" wines of all three types, so without knowing which specific wineries and vintages you're talking about, there are no absolute answers.

However:

Those who are new to wine will generally, very generally, find sauv. blanc to taste a bit lighter and less complex than most chardonnays. Particularly California wines. Chardonnay from California often feels very rich and buttery in the mouth. That stems from various techniques in the winemaking, including the use of oak instead of steel barrels, a process called malolactic fermentation, and some other considerations.

The French tend to make their Chardonnays very differently, which might lead you to call the taste less "full," or "lighter." Regardless, though, my guess is that you'll find the taste of Chards to be heavier and fuller than Sauv. Blancs. Again, that's a very broad generalization.

As to Pinots, they tend to be lighter in color than most other reds, and someone new to wines might feel that they taste lighter, too. Great Pinots, however, are among the most complex and subtle wines in the world, with many, many layers and levels of tastes. But someone new to wine would probably find a middle-of-the-road Pinot to taste lighter than most other reds. Compared to Chards and Sauv Blancs? Again, apples and Oranges, but generally speaking reds taste fuller and richer than whites to most people.

Go to some tastings. Taste three or four chardonnays, tell the person in charge which ones you like, and he'll help you figure out why, and what you like and don't like, generally, about chards. Do the same for the other two types of wine, and any others you're interested in. Little by little you'll learn the difference between the grapes, and the differences that different years, regions, blends and winemakers can bring to the table.

Until you've actually contrasted and compared wines, with some attention to what you're experiencing, it's very difficult to compare them or figure out what you like. Imagine that in your entire life, you'd only seen, say, poodles and German shepherds (I'm loosely comparing them to whites and red.) You probably prefer one breed to the other. Then you go to a dog show one day and find out there are hundreds of breeds, not to mention thousands of mutts with the best of many breeds. That's where the fun begins.