A delicate grape variety
Pinot noir is a very frost-sensitive grape variety, and it's risky to plant it on plains or lower slopes, since these are the places where fog accumulates on cold spring mornings. What's more, it's often prone to vine diseases and doesn't always produce high yields... So why bother planting Pinot noir? For its aromas and the finesse of its flesh, no doubt!
Where can you find Pinot noir wines?
In Champagne, of course! Just because Champagne is white doesn't mean it can't be made from black grapes! In fact, the flesh and juice of the berries are translucent. When the wine is made only with Pinot noir (and or Meunier), it's called "Blanc de noirs". Pinot noir is the most widely planted grape variety in Champagne, accounting for 38% of the vineyard area. To make Champagne, Pinot Noir is vinified on its own or blended with Chardonnay or Meunier. It's Pinot Noir that gives Champagne its fruitiness, power and wineiness.
Burgundy is its other favorite region, with a special mention for Côte-d'Or, where it offers a wide range of wine expressions. The Côte-de-Beaune also produces some very fine Pinot noir.
Pinot noir around the world
Pinot noir is the tenth most planted grape variety in the world. It occupies 2% of the world's vineyards, having almost doubled its surface area in ten years. Pinot noir has been adopted by all cool-climate wine-producing countries: Eastern Europe, Germany, Switzerland, the cooler regions of Italy (Trentino-Alto Adige, Friuli) and Spain (Catalonia, Valencia), and even... England! This represents over 60,000 hectares of Pinot noir planted worldwide.
The wine-producing countries of the New World have also started to plant Pinot, in vineyards benefiting from suitable micro-climates. The Central Otago region of New Zealand and the state of Oregon, in the Willamette Valley in the western USA, have made it their specialty, with great success!
The greatest Pinots noir
- The "Coeur des Bar" cuvée from the Devaux Champagne House. A balanced Pinot Noir with notes of ripe fruit and gingerbread.
- Cuvée"Les Sous" from Maison Lallier, made from a selection of plots. A beautifully fresh champagne with notes of quince compote.
- The Grande Cuvée"Charles VII Blanc De Noirs" from Maison Canard-Duchêne is a blend of Pinot Noir from the Montagne de Reims and 20% Meunier. Power, intensity and maturity are the watchwords of this champagne with its candied fruit aromas.
- Alain Thiénot has created a cuvée dedicated to his daughter, Garance. A deep golden color that the 2008 vintage makes powerful and fine.
- Louis Eugène" vintage 2012 is a tribute to the founder of the Panier brand. A true cuvée of character for lovers of Pinot Noir.
- The recent 100% Pinot noir cuvée "PN VZ15" from Maison Bollinger. A champagne of great complexity, with flavors of apricot and peach, acacia flower and yuzu.
