Pinot Noir (Pinot noir) – red technical kind of grapes from Burgundy, widely spread in all the major wine regions of the world.

Synonyms varieties: Pinot Nero (Pinot Nero), Pinot Negro (Negro Pinot), Pinot Feng (Pinot Fin), nwaran (Noirien), Pinot Noir (Spatburgunder), blauburgunder (Blauburgunder).

“Pinot Noir – trashy girl, able to ruffle and winegrower, and winemaker and wine lover. It will swallow you in a terrible dance, teasing hints at the treasures waiting to be particularly persistent, but stubbornly resisting the taming of the” (Jancis Robinson)

Delicate charm of Pinot Noir and its ability to Express the character of areas of growth paved the way for him to a variety of vineyards, from Western Germany and Northern Italy to Chile, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and the USA.

Pinot Noir – the varietal, the Patriarch of the Pinot family, which got its name due to the shape of the clusters, resembling a pine cone (pinot in the Burgundian dialect).

Pinot Noir belongs to the genetically unstable varieties, are prone to mutations (another example of such a varieties – Traminer). To the “mutants” of the family belong to the Pinot varieties such as Pinot Gris (Grigio), Pinot Blanc, Pinot Meunier.

Around Pinot Noir disputes, perhaps more than any other around. Most of them devoted to finding his “true nature”. There is no doubt that samples of Pinot Noir from the French Santenay (Santenay) differ from those produced at the other end of the world – Central Otago (New Zealand). Nevertheless, he and other prominent representatives of the Pinot Noir.

Requires a lot of effort and skill to Pinot Noir to fulfil its potential. It is not easy to cultivate and gives outstanding results only in low yields (about 30% lower than, for example, for the major red varieties Bordeaux). And the results will amaze the breadth of the palette: from the acid and watery “candy” samples to some of the most aromatic and deep wines on the planet.

Due to its perfect versatility, Pinot Noir has found an army of passionate and loyal fans around the world.
In his homeland – in Burgundy winemakers are more focused on the peculiarities of soil and climate than on the grade itself. That is not surprising for the country that gave wine to the world the concept of “terroir”. Even the most subtle nuances of the environment of cultivation reflected in the character of wines produced from Pinot Noir. Wines from Burgundy Volnay appellations of origin (Volnay) and Pommard (Pommard), separated by only one mile, always have a marked and characteristic differences.

Of course, the influence of terroir is evident not only in Burgundian wines. Each wine region has its own characteristics which are reflected in the wine produced there, especially in the case of sensitive to terroir varieties – such as Pinot Noir. And while many New world wines tend to repeat the Burgundy style, in several areas of Oregon, Washington, California, and New Zealand produced their interpretations of this variety.

Aromatics, Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir is characterized by aromas of strawberry, sweet cherry and cherry (fresh berries in a light wine and jam tones in deeper). In more complex wines these tones acquire background aromas of undergrowth (sous-bois). “Good” samples, especially from warm regions, sometimes exhibit an aromatic profile reminiscent of a Shiraz with hints of leather and violets.

Vinification Pinot Noir

Still, the debate continues about the participation of the oak in the production of wines from Pinot Noir, the duration of fermentation, as well as the application of cold maceration (infusion mash). Low temperature allows to achieve more fresh fruit, while the heat increased fermentation time and pizhazh (pigeage – deposition of hats pulp from the surface of the fermentation tank) is more tannic and structured wine. Therefore, these techniques, along with the biodynamic approach, remain at the discretion of the winemaker, and their application depends on its intended taste and style specific Pinot Noir.

What famous wines Pinot Noir

The most famous Pinot Noir received its wines from Burgundy, in particular, the wines of the “Golden slope” region of the côte D’or (Côte d’or), which produce different in character but consistent in quality (for better farms, and relative to other regions of the world) Pinot Noir.

The first written mention of local Pinot Noir belong to the 1375, but this variety cultivated here for hundreds of years before.

Although Pinot Noir is the most famous quiet monosortovymi wines, this variety is a very important element in the production of sparkling wines, particularly champagne. In sparkling wines it can be used as a stand-alone class (in the production of “Blanc de Noir” blanc de noirs), but more often mixed with Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier (in the case of champagne) or Pinot Blanc (in the case of Franciacorta). Very good for sparkling wine blend of Pinot – Chardonnay has adopted winemakers not only in Europe but also in America, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.