Pinot Noir
Pronunciation: PEE noh NOH ahrWhere it's Grown:Honestly this grape has circumnavigated the world's vineyards. The passion the winemakers around the world have for this grape is nearly unmatched. Perhaps it is the elusiveness of the Pinot Noir that is so attractive as it creates a massive challenge to the winemaker and vineyard manager. My opinion is that once a truly great Pinot Noir is consumed the search never ends to have another one!
Burgundy, France is the most famous home of Pinot Noir and really is the standard by which all are judged. That being said Burgundy is a wine mine field as the variance from producer to producer is maddening. This region is thousands of small vineyards with multiple owners and requires at least a cursory knowledge of the geography to make intelligent purchases.
Our own state of Oregon is now the second most prominent source of Pinot Noir. The Willamette Valley has a wonderful mix of Pacific influence and a more predictably warm climate than that of Burgundy. Ripeness is very rarely a question mark in Oregon which accounts for the remarkable consistency of good wines from the state. It is a young growing area having only started working with vines in the late 1960's. We will continue to see wonderful, rich Pinot Noir from Willamette Valley.
California has an enormous number of Pinot Noir plantings and is still planting more! The key regions to look for are Santa Barbara County, Russian River Valley, Carneros, Santa Lucia Highlands, and Mendocino. In Santa Barbara County Santa Ynez Valley, Santa Maria Valley, and Santa Rita Hills are three wonderful sub-districts. California Pinot Noir is about as divergent from Burgundy as one grape can be.
New Zealand has really stepped up on the world stage. Very soon we will be talking as much about their Pinot Noir as we do Oregon or California. Their climate being so temperate really promotes balanced, elegant wines.
Australia has one main area for high quality Pinot Noir in the coastal areas of Victoria Province. Yarra Yering is a stand out producer if you wish to try one but they are pricey. The island state of Tasmania has become a very hopeful place to make outstanding Pinot.
On a local note there are quite a few vineyards planted to Pinot Noir in Michigan. The most successful producer is Wyncroft in Buchanan but there are very nice wines made from the grape on Leelanau and Old Mission Peninsulas.
What to expect:
Pinot Noir above all things should be elegant and, at most, satiny in texture. The power of the grape is found in the intensity of flavor not the weight and so the balance of weight from alcohol and extraction has to be carefully considered. Big, burly Pinot can be found easily from our new world wine regions but it is more akin to Syrah than legitimate Pinot Noir.
Zippy, vibrant wines are the mark of Burgungy. Tartly fruited with bright red fruits with a warm vintage giving black cherry flavors. The texture of these wines will be generally silky with powdery tannin levels that work well with white meats and lean game meats.
Oregon and New Zealand give us lots of red raspberry style fruits but adds a layer of black cherry and even plum. Satiny in texture with significantly more power of fruit and alcohol than Burgundy.
California across the board makes a very powerful style of Pinot Noir with alcohol levels normally over 14% abv. With that much ripeness comes darker fruits. Red cherry carries the tart fruit camp with some pomegranate. Black cherry, plum and blackberry will often show up alongside a cherry or berry syrup note. California on average makes the darkest colored Pinot Noir as well.
