Pinot Noir. Not like other red wine grapes!

Certain grape varieties are considered “noble”, among the reds are Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir. What are the attributes of a noble grape? The definition varies as does the list of noble grapes. Generally, a noble variety has the following attributes:

It is capable of producing fine wine

It can produce fine wine in many locations, countries and terroirs

It retains its varietal characteristics wherever it is grown

It retains varietal character with medium term aging, say up to 8 – 10 years

Clearly Cabernet Sauvignon, the great grape of the Medoc in France’s Bordeaux region is noble. It certainly fulfills the above requirements. Cabernet Sauvignon is peripatetic; it travels well and is capable of producing fine wine almost anywhere. Pinot Noir, the great grape of France’s Burgundy region is also noble. But, I would argue that its nobility is related more to its ability to produce some of the most ethereal, compelling wine on the planet than because it loves to travel. While there is an increasing number of very good Pinots grown all over the world today, there is a smaller number of regions and sub-regions that have had the kind of success with Pinot Noir that has resulted in a Pinot Noir critical mass, where Pinot Noir is becoming or has become the predominantly planted red variety. Regions that come to mind are in the USA: Oregon’s Willamette Valley, the more coastal part of the large Sonoma Coast AVA, Santa Lucia Highlands and Santa Barbara. In New Zealand there are Central Otago and Marlborough on the South Island and some very credible wine is being made in Martinborough on the North Island. In South Africa there is the expanding Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, part of Walker Bay. Germany is fast becoming a Pinot Noir powerhouse with many good wines, and some density in the Ahr and Baden. In Chile, Casablanca seems to have been the focus but other, new high potential areas are being exploited. It has taken producers considerable time, effort and passion to produce fine Pinot Noir outside of Burgundy.

Why is fine Pinot Noir in such demand? Pinot Noir is generally not like other red wine grapes and is not expected to play by the same rules. With Cabernet Sauvignon, for example, we prize deep color, we expect sturdy tannins and we talk about Cabernet in those terms. At the risk of annoying some of you dear readers, I believe that to define your favorite Cabernet in masculine terms is both reasonable, accurate. The most expensive are lavished with new oak and are expected to have some palate “grip” particularly when young. This is not true for Pinot Noir. What do we want in fine Pinot Noir? Again, at the risk of annoying some of you dear readers, fine Pinot Noir is silky, it is sexy, often sultry and we look for that silky “mouthfeel.” Yes, mouthfeel is a characteristic of all wine but is of primary importance in Pinot Noir. This mouthfeel is elusive and not always present in even good red Burgundy. For me it is the holy grail that drives interest in fine Pinot. We do not judge our Cabernet or Syrah by mouthfeel; we do our Pinot Noir. At the same time, we do tend to judge our Cabernet and Syrah on color intensity. Not so with Pinot Noir which is often pale. Great Merlot can have alluring mouthfeel but it is not the most sought after characteristic. I strongly believe that once non Burgundy pinot producers have learned to make a wine that satisfies the above list of attributes, they must turn to the quest for mouthfeel to bring out what is best in Pinot. I find myself talking to producers, particularly in the New World, and saying; “You have made a very good, highly identifiable Pinot Noir but now, to make it great, you must learn to get mouthfeel!”

Achieving mouthfeel is difficult for many reasons; producers don’t always know what it is, or how to achieve it if they do. Even in Burgundy, mouthfeel can be elusive. To achieve this ethereal quality, the winemaker requires absolute passion and understanding. It is no less than an attempt to delve into the soul of the grape, to intertwine your soul with that of the grape, to obtain that quality as a love response from the grape. For many red wine grapes, you can almost divide responsibilities into viticulture and winemaking, with different individuals and teams responsible for each. Not so with Pinot Noir. The best winemakers are also in the vineyards, the human analogy being that breathing and blood circulation are controlled by one brain! I am apologizing a great deal today but In my experience, with very few exceptions, it is well-nigh impossible to make both great Pinot Noir and great wine from other red varieties in the same vintage. It is to me like saying a great chef will also be a great baker! True, the viticultural demands and terroir prerogatives of Pinot Noir generally mean that, in the best regions, it is the only red wine grape grown.

Pinot Noir is also, in many ways, a democratic grape; it punishes all producers equally. It is fickle, it is site specific, it defies being made in large quantities, it disdains multimillion dollar, gleaming steel and concrete wineries, you can’t coax true quality out of it by lavishing new oak on it. It doesn’t have a soft spot for low budget winemakers, it just doesn’t bow to rich ones either!

No, great Pinot Noir is not like other red wine grapes. With other red wine grapes you make wine (II mean no disrespect to those passionate and talented winemakers working with other grapes); with Pinot Noir you have to live the vine and the wine, to connect almost at the DNA level. It’s not for all winemakers but the rewards can be otherworldly!

Want to try a silky Pinot Noir with lovely mouthfeel? Click on the bottle below.

Selected by Peter Koff MW

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