Pinot Noir
In this article, we'll delve into the fascinating grape of Pinot Noir, exploring its reputation and global rise, historical roots in Burgundy, elusive nature, cultivation and production techniques, and diverse expressions in Burgundy’s appellation.
Unlocking the Secrets of Pinot Noir: A Guide to one of the World's Most Elusive Grape Variety
Pinot Noir, the holy grail of red wine grapes, has long been a source of fascination for wine enthusiasts and producers alike. With its delicate flavour profile, nuanced acidity, and notoriously challenging growing conditions, Pinot Noir is a grape variety that requires patience, dedication, and a deep understanding of its unique characteristics. Click here to learn more about the producers from our portfolio cultivating this wonderful grape.
The Origins of Pinot Noir: A Brief History
Pinot Noir is one of the oldest cultivated grape varieties in the world, with a history dating back over 2,000 years. Its origins are shrouded in mystery, but it's believed to have originated in the Burgundy region of France, where it remains the flagship grape variety to this day alongside Chardonnay.
The earliest recorded mention of Pinot Noir dates back to the 1st century AD, when the Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder wrote about a grape variety called "Pino" in his book "Naturalis Historia". However, Pinot Noir was likely cultivated in Burgundy long before this, with some historians suggesting that it may have been introduced to the region by the Gauls, a Celtic tribe that inhabited the area before the Roman conquest.
Over the centuries, Pinot Noir has been cultivated in various parts of Europe, including Germany, Italy, and Switzerland, each region imparting its unique characteristics on the grape. However, it's in Burgundy that Pinot Noir has reached its highest expression, with the region's unique terroir and winemaking traditions combining to produce some of the world's most renowned and sought-after wines.
The Challenges of Growing Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir is notoriously difficult to grow, requiring a specific set of conditions to thrive. It's a cool-climate grape variety, preferring temperatures between 4°C and 15°C, with moderate rainfall and well-drained soils.
One of the biggest challenges of growing Pinot Noir is its susceptibility to various diseases, including millerandage, downy and powdery mildew, botrytis bunch rot, and fan leaf and leaf roll viruses. These diseases can decimate yields and impact quality, making it essential for growers to employ rigorous vineyard management practices to prevent their spread.
Pinot Noir is also highly sensitive to weather conditions, with frost, hail, and excessive rain all posing significant risks to the crop. In addition, the grape variety is prone to uneven ripening, which can result in wines with unbalanced flavors and aromas. In warm climates, Pinot Noir can ripen too quickly, leading to a loss of aroma intensity and sun-damaged berries.
Clonal Selection and Vineyard Management
Many Burgundian producers rely on Dijon clones, developed at the University of Burgundy, which are now widely used globally. These clones exhibit varying characteristics, such as yield, disease tolerance, ripening speed, and fruit traits.
Producers must decide whether to plant single-clone vineyards for uniformity or mixed-clone vineyards for diversity and potential disease resistance. Some producers opt for mass selection to propagate their vines.
Pinot Noir viticulture requires a delicate balance of techniques to produce high-quality wines. Vines are often pruned using cordon training systems, such as Cordon de Royat or Guyot, to limit vigour and yields, while also managing disease risk.
Traditionally, the Guyot system was used, but many growers adopted a softer method of cane pruning known as Poussard-Guyot, which reduces pruning wounds and helps combat trunk diseases like Esca.
Planting densities range from 8,000 to 10,000 vines per hectare, with denser planting encouraging root competition and higher flavour intensity. Growers use debudding (usually before flowering) and green harvesting during the latter part of the growing season to manage yields, balancing the need for quality fruit with the risk of hail, frost, and disease. Debudding promotes good balance in the vine but can lead to drastic yield reductions if weather conditions are poor, while green harvesting allows growers to assess bunches before sacrificing any, but can lead to changes in vine development and dilution of grape quality.
Yields are restricted according to the appellation, with regional appellations limited to 69 hL/ha, village-level wines and Premier Cru restricted to 40-45 hL/ha, and Grands crus limited to as low as 40-64 hL/ha. Organic and biodynamic practices are gaining popularity, but the region's challenging climate and shared vineyards can make implementation difficult. Pest and disease management is crucial, with pheromone capsules controlling grape moths and canopy management. Harvest timing is critical, as storms can lead to dilution and fruit damage, and hand-picking remains the norm, making workforce availability a key consideration. By carefully balancing these factors, Burgundian growers can coax the best from their Pinot Noir vines.
Winemaking Techniques: A Delicate Process
Due to its delicate skin and relatively light tannins, Pinot Noir requires careful vinification to maintain its primary fruit flavours and avoid excessive oxidation. Hand-sorting is common, especially when rot or hail has been an issue during the vintage, and grapes may be loaded into fermentation vessels as whole bunches or destemmed beforehand. Whole bunch fermentation, a traditional practice in Burgundy, has seen a resurgence in popularity in recent years This method can aid aeration, add perfume and freshness, and provide fine tannins, although unripe stems can extract green, astringent tannins, this is why many producers also completely destemmed grapes to only keep the berries.
Cold soaking is also common to maximize colour extraction, as Pinot Noir is low in anthocyanins. Fermentation typically takes place in small, open-top vessels using ambient yeast, with cap management techniques like pumping over and punching down employed to introduce oxygen, avoid a reduction, and extract colour, tannin, and flavour.
Post-fermentation maceration periods vary depending on fruit ripeness and wine style, and the wine is pressed off and racked into oak barrels for maturation, with ageing periods ranging from 12-20 months for premium wines. The proportion of new oak varies widely across the region and producer style and malolactic conversion typically occurs spontaneously in the spring following harvest.
Different Expressions of Pinot Noir
Village Appellations
Within each of these regions, there is a range of village appellations that produce Pinot Noirs with unique flavour profiles.
Here are some of the most notable:
Gevrey-Chambertin: Known for its rich, full-bodied Pinot Noirs with flavours of dark fruit, spice, and leather. Click here to learn more about the three distinct styles of Gevrey-Chambertin wines from different zones, each one with its unique characteristics. Domaine les Astrelles as well as Domaine Humbert’s wines offers a unique expression of this grape variety.
Morey-Saint-Denis: The smallest village in Côte-de-Nuits to produce wine (except Vougeot). The wine produced is refined while having character and complexity. Key producers such as Domaine Arlaud are producing some of the finest expressions of this appellation.
Chambolle-Musigny: With a soil mainly composed of limestone over clay, this appellation produces elegant, refined Pinot Noirs with flavours of red fruit, earth, and spice. Winemakers such as Domaine Hudelot-Baillet and Domaine Felettig are producing wonderful wines.
Vosne-Romanée: The Pinot Noir produced in this appellation are among the finest and most renowned wines in the world. This area offers a wide range of diversity and Domaine Bruno Clavelier as well as Domaine Anne-Gros are amongst the best producers to express the identity of this grape variety.
Nuits-Saint-Georges: Wines from this appellation are known for their rich, full-bodied flavours of dark fruit, spice, and leather. Domaine Lécheneaut offers a wonderful expression of this appellation.
Premier Cru and Grand Cru Appellations
Within each village appellation, there is a range of Premier Cru and Grand Cru vineyards that produce Pinot Noirs with even more complex and nuanced flavour profiles.
Here are some of the most notable:
Gevrey-Chambertin: Premier Crus vineyards such as Les Corbeaux, Poissenot, and Lavaux Saint-Jacques and Grand Cru vineyards such as Mazis-Chambertin, Le Chambertin and Charmes Chambertin.
Morey-Saint-Denis: Premier Crus vineyards such as Aux Cheseaux, Clos Sorbé, Les Carrières and Grand Cru vineyards such as Clos des Lambrays, Clos de La Roche and Clos Saint-Denis.
Chambolle-Musigny: Premier Crus vineyards such as Les Cras, Les Charmes, Les Noirots, La Combe d’Orveau and Grand Cru vineyards such as Musigny, Les Bonnes Mares.
Vougeot: Premier Crus vineyards such as Les Cras, Clos de la Perrière and the unique Grand Cru of Clos de Vougeot offer a wide complexity of expression due to its size.
Vosne-Romanée: Premier Crus vineyards such as Les Beaux Monts, Aux Brulées, and Grand Cru vineyards such as La Romanée Conti, Richebourg, La Grande Rue, La Romanée.
Nuits-Saint-Georges Premier Cru: This appellation does not have any Grand Crus, but outstanding Premier Crus vineyards such as Aux Cras, Les Pruliers, Aux Argillats, and Aux Boudots.
Appellations from Côte de Beaune are also producing distinctive expressions of this unique grape variety.
Here are some of the most notable:
Aloxe-Corton: Produces Pinot Noirs with flavours of red fruit, earth, and spice, with a slightly firmer tannic structure. The hill of Corton is located on the communes of Aloxe-Corton, Pernand Vergelesses Ladoix-Serrigny and Grand Crus such as Corton-Charlemagne and Corton are produced there.
Pommard: Produces Pinot Noirs with flavours of dark fruit, spice, and leather, with a slightly firmer tannic structure, Domaine Buisson Charles produces an elegant version of Pommard, with the climate of En Mareau.
Volnay: Known for its elegant, refined Pinot Noirs with flavours of red fruit, earth, and spice, this appellation is home to Premiers Cru such as Les Fremiets and En Santenots.
