The Wine Observer

Pinot Noir: Finesse to Impress

A refreshing break from the routine

By Paul Karpecki, OD

The next few columns will feature a specific grape each month: what makes it unique, the wine it produces, the best regions to find it and wines to try. I believe you have to start with pinot noir, the classic grape of Burgundy, France and one of just three permissible in Champagne. Pinot noir has a spectacular ability to captivate upon first taste. It also is the purest reflection of the climate from which it hails. In a warmer year and the proper planting area, it reveals bright red fruits that mingle perfectly with a straw gamey character, and is smooth as velvet with the final tastes lingering for minutes. In cooler planting areas, you taste bracing acidity and bright cherry, raspberry and hints of baking spices.

Pinot noir is a softer red because it is light in tannins. It is often des cribed as a "finesse" wine rather than a fullbodied or "big" wine. Its color and even its mouthfeel are lighter than others, but without diminishing its taste or complexity. Typical flavors and aromas are raspberry, strawberry, red and black cherry; if left to mature, a cabbage or "barnyard" bouquet is often described.

A Very Temperamental Grape

For the winemaker, pinot noir is one of the most challenging and rewarding wines in the world. Done right, few are more impressive. But when something is amiss, the result is worse than any other wine in the same circumstance.

Its skin is much thinner than other red grapes, making it very vulnerable, but if grown properly and in the right terroir (location based on earth's composition, hillside, slope, climate) it creates marvelous wines. This means that there are very few locations ideal to grow pinot noir properly. It is equally incumbent on the winemaker to be knowledgeable and exacting with this grape and the winemaking process. In fact, pinot noir is more likely to vary with each winemaker, each location and even each year. Even a slight variation makes a significant difference. A late frost or a wet harvest and you will have little chance of creating the elegance pinot noir is known for. Pinot noir also requires cool nights, slow but adequate ripening, some rain but not too much, and a presence on a hillside or slope that is situated just right.

Sources and Selections

I doubt there are more than a dozen locations in the world that can make world-class pinot noir. Look to areas with cool coastal climates and consistency. In the old world, Burgundy (in particular the Cote d'Or) is the classic location; they have been making pinot noir there for over 700 years. Other areas of Europe include Champagne and Alsace France, Austria, Hungary and some parts of Germany. In the New World you have to be quite selective, but there are some great regions in California, Oregon and New Zealand.

If you really know your wines, the regions of Cote de Nuits and Cote de Beaune are wonderful — but you will pay handsomely. If you want to experiment with French pinot noir, consider Santenay or Volnay of Burgundy, as they are typically more similar to the New World style and don't typically require as much cellaring.

The New World, however, is now making exceptional pinot noir as well. In New Zealand, look for wines from Central Otago (difficult to obtain but worth the effort). Oregon's Willamette Valley has some stunning pinot noirs from Domaine Drouhin, Domaine Serene, Ponzi, Archery Summit, Argyle, Benton Lane, Cristom and Ken Wright. In fact, I would suggest almost any pinot noir made in Willamette Valley because the conditions are perfect.

In California, look to the central coastal regions: the Russian River Valley of Sonoma (Williams Selyem, Gary Ferrell, Dutton Goldfield) or the regions of Santa Maria and Santa Rita Hills (SRH). I've been impressed with SRH, and even Wine Enthusiast has stated that SRH stands out as one of the greatest New World sites to grow pinot noir. There are numerous great wine makers in this region, such as Clos Pepe, Sea Smoke or Foley Estates.

Pinot Noir and Life

I consider the pinot noir grape a good lessen in life. If you give it everything without the grape having to make an effort — a nice valley floor to grow in, warm summer days and nights, water every day, no chance of frost or any stress whatsoever, and harvest it at the perfect time — you would still get the worst wine you've ever tasted! Instead, if you allow this grape to work hard by planting it on a steep-sloped hillside, forcing it to put its roots deep to hang on, to struggle to get rain water as it runs down the slope, in an environment with cool nights and moderate sunny days, a long season even with some mild variability, you will get something amazing! Life is sometimes like the pinot noir grape in that the more effort you put in — and even a life with some stress and difficulties — creates miracles. Ponder that the next time you're sitting back enjoying a tantalizing pinot noir! OM