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Pinot, Pinot Everywhere...By E. S. Brown on 5.3.2005 |
Pinot Noir has taken over. The madness is spreading. It’s everywhere. There are no other grapes left. Dump your Bordeaux down the drain. Use the Chardonnay to gargle with first thing in the morning. Port wine is what you rinse your glass with in between bottles of Burgundy. You may as well light the non-Pinot portion of your cellar on fire.
Be it the movie Sideways or just a shift in the wine drinking winds, Pinot Noir sales have skyrocketed. Industry analysts put the jump at anywhere between 15-30%, and one thing that everyone can agree on is that business is booming. Pinot Noir can be delicious, elegant, refined, exuberant, fruity, earthy, powerful, ethereal and monstrous all at once. It is low in tannins, easy to drink and enjoy, and is all the rage right now. So what’s to stop Pinot from taking over?
Before you groan “Not another sideways-inspired ‘Pinot Noir is great’ monologue,” be forewarned: I am here to temper the enthusiasm just a touch. This article is to keep your love for Pinot Noir in perspective, to remind you why it so great, but also why it is so maddening at the same time. Pinot Noir can be all of those wonderful adjectives and more, but just as common are a whole slew of descriptors such as thin, acidic, short, fragile, stubborn and expensive, that proclaim why Pinot can be so tricky. So which is it? Is it great, or is it impossible to make into quality wine that can be sold for less than $20?
Both, actually. Despite a history that dates back at least 2,000 years Pinot Noir can be a head-scratcher for even the best of winemakers. Paul Giamatti was right on target in Sideways for his assessment of the troubles of Pinot. It is susceptible to every vine disease there is. It buds early so frost is constantly a problem. It has a thin skin. It doesn’t like the cold. It doesn’t like the heat. It ferments violently. Save for limestone, it doesn’t like anything. Call it the ugly duckling of the wine world, only it is just as likely to turn into a beautiful swan as it is to remain awkward and out of sorts.
And that’s just growing it! Once it is in bottle it needs to be kept out of sunlight, heat and cold, as well as away from vibrations and even loud noises. It’s like your Aunt Ethel, cranky even on her best days. All of this leads to one conclusion: There just isn’t that much great Pinot Noir to go around.
The best examples of Pinot Noir in the world come from a few very select locales. Burgundy is her home and by far the most famous. But the Golden Slope of Burgundy has its own inherent problems of inconsistency and high prices. The cooler climates of California such as Carneros and the Russian River valley have proven kind to the Pinot, but supply is low and demand was high even before Sideways. The Willamette valley in western Oregon is rising steadily in quality and quantity, but will never reach the heights of other regions to the south. Pinot Noir just doesn’t have the productivity or the hardiness of other Vinifera grapes such as Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot, which despite one-liners in a certain movie remains steady on its throne as number one in wine sales. The increase in sales of Pinot Noir will only exacerbate the matter further.
Just so you don’t think that we here at Winegeeks.com are all doom and gloom let’s explore how to find that great bottle of Pinot Noir. I mentioned Burgundy before, as it is truly the home of the world’s finest Pinot Noir. No region on earth can produce wines from such a fragile grape that have such a broad range from delicate and perfumed to dark and brooding. But no region on earth varies as greatly from vintage to vintage, producer to producer and hilltop to hilltop. Stick with better producers such as Bruno Clair, Domaine Roumier, and Jacky Truchot for good results and for heaven’s sake, stick to the good vintages. Years such as 2003, 2002, 2000, 1999, 1996 and 1995 will provide you with more consistent wines across the board.
California has been at the forefront of the Pinot Noir revolution. For years winemakers across the globe struggled to find a place that could consistently reproduce the stunning wines of Burgundy. The cooler climates of Carneros, the Russian River Valley, and Santa Barbara (now laden with Sideways-inspired traffic as well) have proven that fine, if perhaps not Burgundian, Pinot Noir can be produced outside of France. A number of wineries are making great wines that range from fresh and fruity to big and bold. Remember though, that because of the difficulty in growing Pinot Noir (even in sunny California) a $9 Pinot Noir may taste just that. This is not to say that bargains can’t be found, but in the value range Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah/Shiraz will provide better results.
The Pinots of the Willamette valley in Oregon are also not to be missed. Blessed with several recent good vintages (2002, 2000-1998) the wine industry in Oregon is booming, and Pinot Noir is the star. The long, cool and sometimes wet growing season has provided a refuge for our little duckling in the Pacific Northwest, and the results can be as graceful as any swan. Names such as Lemelson, Beaux Freres (Robert Parker’s winery with his Brother-in Law) and Panther Creek have enjoyed great successes inspired by pioneers such as Adelsheim and Eyrie.
Pinot Noir can be the most sublime of wine experiences. A sip of a well-made Pinot can send even the most cynical of wine geeks scurrying for adjectives to describe the beauty found within. But it can also throw a dirty sock at you. Or a stinky cheese rind. Or my personal favorite, the gulp of air. You know that you just took a sip of wine. You can even feel it on your tongue. But it has no flavor. It just kind of sits there, with both you and the wine hoping for more than is delivered. C'est la vie. But before you rush out to recreate that Sideways moment, make sure that you keep your wine buying wits as high as your hopes and chances are you’ll find yourself saying “I’m not drinking any (bleeping) Merlot.”
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