Pinot Noir
The
other noble red grape. A medium-bodied dry red wine with an aroma
ranging from peppermint and spice to cherry, rose petals, violets
and truffles. It is enjoyed for its smooth, silky texture and transforms
with bottle age into one of the greatest wines produced on earth.
It is one of the most difficult grapes to grow and most difficult
wines to make. Lukewarm public acceptance, except for the top Burgundies
from France, kept its price below Cabernet. Since the early '90s,
however, dramatic improvements in quality from California's top
producers as well as a strong interest in lighter, more approachable
wines to go with lighter foods has seen this grape gain a considerable
foothold in the red wine arena.
Regions:
Does
best in the cooler areas in the state like Santa Barbara County,
Santa Cruz, Monterey, Mendocino and Carneros. Its thin skin naturally
makes a lighter colored wine, but in many cases, a very fragrant
and flavorful one. Many winemakers ferment very slowly to extract
more color out of the wine, thus giving it strength and body, but
at the expense of delicacy and nuance. It is vineyard specific in
that it picks up the nuances of the ground in which it is grown
and also very picky about weather.
Pinot
Noir excels in Burgundy, especially in the tiny 15 mile strip of
the Côte de Nuits like no where else. With few exceptions, unfortunately,
you get what you pay for and great Burgundy is hugely expensive.
The patchwork of vineyards and owners is so daunting that no one
could possibly be familiar with each and every one. The major flaw
in its precise Cru system for ranking vineyards is that no account
is taken as to the skill or commitment of the winemaker. Therefore,
while all Echezeaux is given the highest rank of Grand Cru, wines
made by different winemakers in the same year can vary greatly in
both quality and price. The moral is, know the producer.
Almost
exclusively grown in the Trentino where it produces lighter styled,
no oak wines. But, a few producers are finding that by lowering
yields and minding the fermentation, they can produce superb examples.
A
few daring producers on the South Island are making some standout
offerings. This grape shows promise here, it's just a matter of
time and commitment.
Outside
of California, only Oregon excels in Pinot Noir. Like Burgundy,
however, the marginal climate here allows full ripening, without
rain at harvest, in less than half the vintages. When they're good,
they are very good, but very few can salvage a typical harvest here.
Even when a good wine is made in a poor vintage, eventually (usually
sooner than later) the wine falls apart, unlike those from great
vintages, which last for decades.
