Pinot Noir [PEE-noh NWAHR]

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The red grape of France’s BURGUNDY region. It’s responsible for the great (and expensive) red wines from Burgundy’s CÔTE D’OR region, which include those from BEAUNE, BONNES MARES, CHAMBERTIN, CORTON, MUSIGNY, POMMARD, RICHEBOURG, ROMANÉECONTI, and VOLNAY. Pinot Noir is thought to have been grown in France for over 2,000 years, perhaps even prior to the Roman invasion of this area.  The Pinot vine is described as “genetically unstable,” meaning that it mutates very easily, which makes consistency from this vine extremely difficult. There are estimates of over 1,000 different types or clones belonging to the Pinot family. Some, such as PINOT BLANC, PINOT GRIS, and PINOT MEUNIER, have become well-known varieties in their own right. The combination of Pinot Noir’s mutating characteristic and difficult growing requirements (a long, cool growing season) makes this variety a frustrating grape from which to make wine, even for Burgundians. This situation is aggravating for Pinot Noir lovers as well because the gap between the high and low quality of this wine is broader than any of the other important reds. The flavor of Pinot Noir is chameleon-like. When young, good wines exhibit the simpler fruity characteristics of cherries, plums, raspberries, and strawberries. As these wines mature, they display a variety of COMPLEX characteristics including chocolate, game, figs, prunes, SMOKINESS, truffles, and violets. France is the largest cultivator of the Pinot Noir grape, but few areas outside of Burgundy make really great Pinot Noir wines. The regions of ALSACE, IRANCY, Jura, Lorraine, SANCERRE, and SAVOIE all use Pinot Noir to produce lighter red and rosé wines. In the CHAMPAGNE region, Pinot Noir is one of the three grape varieties (along with CHARDONNAY and MEUNIER) allowed in the region’s sparkling wine. Here, care must be taken in pressing the grapes so that the juice does not pick up the indigo color of the grape’s skin. Pinot Noir is also an important red grape in Germany (where an early-ripening version is known as Frühburgunder and a late-ripening form, as Spätburgunder), but it has a hard time fully ripening there and produces pale, light-bodied wines. In northern Italy, Pinot Noir is known as Blauburgunder in some areas and Pinot Nero in others. Italy’s mountainous areas produce some very good Pinot Noirs. This grape is also grown in Switzerland, as well as some of the eastern European countries. There’s been a great deal of effort in the United States to emulate the great Burgundy Pinots, but vintners are still experimenting to come up with the right formula. Some of California’s better Pinot Noir wines come from the state’s cooler regions such as CARNEROS, the RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY, and parts of MONTEREY, SAN LUIS OBISPO, and SANTA BARBARA counties. Oregon’s long, cool growing season is conducive to the production of some acclaimed Pinot Noir wines. In various parts of the world, Pinot Noir is also known as Blauer Klevner, Blauer Spätburgunder, Burgundac Crni, Clevner, Nagyburgundi, Pineau, and Savagnin Noir.