Pinot Noir Flashcards
Pinot Noir characteristics
Black Grape
Thin skin
Cool- moderate climate
If too warm grapes loose their fresh fruit flavors and will taste unattractively cooked
Pale to medium in color
High acid
Low medium tannins
Red fruit- Strawberry, Raspberry, Red Cherry
Can range from fresh to cooked fruit on ripeness.
Wine making and Maturation
Single varietal. Except for Sparkling champagne.
Often matured in oak
Small oak barrels will over power the wine
Older and larger barrels impart less flavor.
Best pinots show subtle oak derived aromas of smoke and clove and are balanced by fruit.
Most intended to be consumed when they are youthful and fruity.
Very good or outstanding can develop tertiary flavors of Forrest floor and mushrooms.
Important regions for Pinot noir
Burgundy is the home to Pinot Noir.
Cool in the north
Moderate in the south
Best suited for moderate areas capable of full ripen
Best sites are located south- SE facing slopes. Benefit from extra sunlight, Concentrated and complex wines suitable for bottling.
Côte d’Or is most celebrated region.
Two halves of Côte d’Or are:
Côte de Nuits in the north
Côte de Beaune in the south
Village wines.
Typically better situated slopes
More flavor, intensity, complexity, length,
Most famous villages are in Côte d’Or
Gevrey- chambertin AOC & Nuits-Saint georges AOC are in Côte de Nuits
Beaune AOC & Pommard AOC are in Côte de Beaune
Premier Cru and grand Cru Wines
The most complex and intense wines of Burgundy
Prestigious vineyards
Slopes facing south south east
Extra sunlight lends to concentrated fruit flavors.
Strawberries, red cherries, subtle oak aromas of clove and smoke.
Evolve pronounced tertiary flavors as Forrest floor, mushroom in the bottle.
Grand Cru’s are the best with concentrated, complex and best potential for aging. High priced.
Pinot Noir in USA
Much of California is to warm.
Proximity to the coast, fog, costal breeze
Carneros in the North is cooled by morning fog from the San Pablo bay.
Western Sonoma are cooled by the Pacific Ocean.
Santa Barbara county is central coast and cooled by sea breezes from the west and south.
These regions produce excessively cooked flavors.
California PN tend to have ripe red fruit (strawberry and red cherry) also oak ( vanilla )
Finest examples have pronounced tertiary of Forrest floor and mushrooms.
Oregon Pinot Noir.
Produces very good to outstanding quality
Northern latitude and exposure to the Pacific Ocean
Cooler than California
Mostly moderate climate ideal for PN
Best wines have Complex, fresh red fruit
Flavors subtle oak ( smoke and clove )
Can develop tertiary flavors in bottle ( earth, mushroom)
Pinot Noir in Chile.
Coastal sub region Casablanca Valley to the north of Santiago can produce very good PN.
Cooled by sea breezes and morning fogs from the Pacific Ocean.
Very fruity PN
Often flavors of cooked strawberries
Rarely inexpensive
Excellent value for money.
Pinot Noir in South Africa.
Coolest coastal region of Walker Bay.
Strong southernly breezes encourage vibrant red fruit flavors.
Very good to outstanding.
Pinot Noir in Australia
Overall Australia is Warm though moderate to cool climates exist.
Yarra valley and Mornington Peninsula in Victoria are among a few regions that are cool enough for PN.
Cooling comes from the southern ocean.
Vary from light and fragrant to riper with cooked red fruit. Red plum, strawberry with medium tannins.
Pinot noir in New Zealand
Pinot noir is the premier black grape.
Cool and moderate climates.
Martinborough and Marlborough produced very good to outstanding
Southerly latitude of Central Otago produces the ripest and most powerfully flavored Pinot noir. Protected by sea breezes and rain because of the ring of mountains around it.
Intensely sunny days followed by cool nights.
Resulting in pronounced fruit flavors of strawberry and red cherry. Medium to full body and medium tannins. often matured in oak and may require a few years in the bottle to reach full potential.
Pinot Noir today.
Renowned for its ability to express small changes in the vineyards.
Experts say they can taste a difference between wines planted meters away.
For the casual consumer they provide refreshing red wine that can be consumed with or without food, rarely needs extended periods of bottle aging.
Pinot noir is rarely inexpensive
Because of popularity it’s been planted in areas that are too warm for quality. Resulting in overly alcohol that lack identifiable pinots
Labeling in Burgundy
Bourgogne AOC- broadest regional covers all of Burgundy.
Village Appellations- more flavor concentration and flavor complexity. Best can age in bottle.
Premier Cru- within villages. Must be made from solely premier Cru sites. May display the name of the vineyard if from a single vineyard.
Grand Cru- highest quality. Generally small well situated plots Outstanding quality. Awarded their own appellations. The name appears on the label along with Gran Cru AOC. Rarest, age worthy.
