PINOT NOIR
Quick overview
Pinot Noir is a light red wine that has medium to low tannins and medium to high acidity (like the gamey grape from Beaujolais in France) and likes a moderate to cool climate. It is normally drunk young.
However if Pinot Noir is grown in a climate that is too cool, so the grapes don’t ripen, the wine will have excessive vegetal flavours of cabbage/ wet leaves.
If the grape is grown in a hot climate the wines will often be excessively jammy.
In moderate climates where the conditions are right the wines will display red fruit flavours of strawberry/ cherry and mushroom aromas.
On the grapevine...
Pinot Noir is THE red grape grown in Burgundy, France (Chardonnay being the white) and is the classic region for the grape. Subtle differences in the terroir (grape-growing conditions – soil, climate, altitude, position on slope) make more of a difference to a Pinot Noir wine (taste, body, etc.) then the grape itself and production techniques.
More about the grape...
Pinot Noir is a small grape with a thin skin which makes it is susceptible to bad weather conditions, hence its often hefty price tag.
New Zealand, South America and South Africa and cooler parts of the USA (Sonoma and Oregon for example) produce Pinot Noirs that have more body and concentrated flavours than Pinot Noirs from Burgundy. They generally have lower acidity as well. I particularly like New Zealand Pinot Noirs.
Random information...
Pinot Noir is a vital ingredient in champagne (one of the three permitted grape varieties) along with its cousin Chardonnay and another member of the Pinot family – Pinot Meunier.
If a champagne is labelled Blanc de Noir it is made from one or both of the two permitted black grapes - Pinot Noir or Pinot Meunier (and not Chardonnay). This can often lead to a slightly darker berry flavour and often a softer finish.
Safe bet countries/ regions (this is a VERY general guide)
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Gevrey-Chambertin, Nuits Saint-Georges, Beaune - Burgundy, France
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Marlborough – New Zealand
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Chile – South America