Pinot Noir Grape
The Pinot Noir grape has very thin skins with light pigments, aromas, and flavors. Pinots are often described as "fruity" or "velvety" but these terms do not give the varietal justice.
These wines have delicate flavors of ripe cherry, strawberry, raspberry, and plum. They have floral and herbaceous aromas. In the vineyard, the grape buds early and is susceptible to minute weather changes, disease, rot, and spring frosts. Vines are prone to Pierce’s Disease carried by the glassy-winged sharpshooter.
The varietal enjoys sun exposure early in the day, but needs cool afternoons and evenings. However, they only thrive when afternoons and evenings cool substantially. It does particularly well in limestone soils.
The difficulty in producing high quality Pinot Noir begins with the plant itself. It is not a genetically stable varietal and has over 1,200 clonal variations. The grape needs at least a moderately long growing season to reach its potential. Too much rain too close to harvest can be quite detrimental to the delicate grape, because its skins are so thin.
The grape is also extremely difficult throughout the winemaking process. It is often aged in oak for a limited time to gain depth and weight. But Pinot has a sporadic ability to age. In general, Pinot should be enjoyed for its youthful vibrancy or its complex age. Many are “closed” in the intermittent years.
Pinot can be enjoyed with a variety of different foods, as long as they are not too spicy. I often order this varietal at restaurants for this reason. It is known as a “crossover wine” for its versatility.
My favorite combination is with a flavorful fish, especially a grilled fillet of wild salmon. These wines also go well with mild cheeses.
Like Chardonnay, Pinot Noir doesn’t have varietal specific aromoas. However, its defining characteristics are thought to arise from ethyl anthranilate, methyl anthranilate and ethyl cinnamate molecules.
