That’s it… Today is THE Day!
The 18th of August 2017 is the annual wine event we’ve all be waiting for, it’s #PinotNoirDay.
The day we celebrate one of the very most delightful, and therefore popular of all grape varieties: the extraordinary Pinot Noir.
The hugely respected Master of Wine Jancis Robinson MW said about the grape on her website:
“The fashionable red burgundy grape is capable of producing divinely scented, gorgeously fruity expressions of place but often unwilling or unable to do so.”
More figuratively, Master Sommelier Madeline Triffon added:
“The most romantic of wines, with so voluptuous a perfume, so sweet an edge, and so powerful a punch that, like falling in love, they make the blood run hot and the soul wax embarrassingly poetic.”
The matter of the fact is, Pinot Noir is a very versatile grape variety.
It is indeed not always easy to get right, and to turn into an excellent wine. Only a handful of wine regions manage to grow it very successfully, and they are generally relatively cool climates area (getting rarer and rarer these days!).
That said, treated well and on the right terroir, Pinot Noir is able to deliver elegant and tasty wines in a variety of style and colors. Red, rosé, or white, still or sparkling there are delicious Pinot Noir wines for all tastes and palates.
You can learn more about Pinot Noir with our Info, Infographics & Aroma Wheel article here:
Among the many international wine reviews I’ve published, I have selected 5 wines worth discovering and tasting if you’d like to experience more, and enjoy great Pinot Noir, for #PinotNoirDay and beyond.
Enjoy 🙂
Pinot Noir Rosés
It’s not always known, but indeed Pinot Noir can be made into great rosé wines. They are often made in a pale and dry style, delivering subtle and elegant flavors of fresh wood berries and citrus.
Sancerre in France is more famous for its Sauvignon Blanc wines, but it also produces deliciously dry and zesty Pinot Noir rosés as well. This area’s style of rosé style is often an inspiration for many winemakers around the world.
Another great Sauvignon Blanc country, New Zealand, has taken this inspiration very successfully, just like in this rosé by Marlborough winery Spy Valley.
2016 Spy Valley Pinot Noir Rosé, Marlborough
88/100 pts. A very enjoyable wine, clean, fruity, refreshing and well made. The surprise is to find flavors that clearly remind of Sauvignon Blanc in this pink Pinot Noir. Perhaps the Marlborough signature!?!
Sparkling Pinot Noir, Champagne
Yet again, it is not always know that Pinot Noir is the origin to some refined sparkling wines, particularly in Champagne, around the Montagne de Reims sub-region in particular for those who are interested in this kind of details.
Here is an example of a stunning vintage 100% Pinot Noir Champagne, by renown Champagne house Philipponnat.
2009 Philipponnat Blanc de Noirs Brut, Champagne
93/100 pts. The real highlight in this Blanc de Noirs Champagne is most certainly in the astounding complexity of the flavor profile and what it reveals about the genuine quality about this fine beverage. Coconut milk, almond, hazelnut, forest flour and an absolutely distinctive floral character make this wine’s flavors literally shine.
The Red Pinot Noirs
Arguably, some of the very best red Pinot Noirs are made in Burgundy. But everyone knowns that!
So let’s explore excellent Pinot Noirs from perhaps lesser-known areas in the name of New Zealand, California, and the Southernmost wine region in Argentina, Patagonia.
2014 Cycles Gladiator Pinot Noir, Central Coast, USA
89/100 pts. A pinot that satisfies by its balance, its upfront fruitiness but also some depth provided by spices, dark cocoa, and caramel notes. And it’s very affordable!
2012 Ata Rangi Pinot Noir, Martinborough, New Zealand
Ata Rangi is probably one of the most renown names for Pinot Noir in New Zealand, and probably one of the very bests coming out of the country as well.
This is a long-lived, tight, both fruity and earthy expression of the grape with potential to become an extraordinary wine with a few more years of ageing.
2016 Familia Schroeder Alpataco Patagonia Pinot Noir, Argentina
In all honesty, Patagonia Pinot Noirs are new to me. Yet. tasting this one has open in me a huge appetite for exploring them more. So vibrant, but powerful and deep too!
89+/100 pts. A super-tasty, quite exuberant and powerful Pinot Noir, that combines elegance of utterly fresh and juicy flavors with the refined personality of a Southern Hemisphere Pinot. Layered, spicy and quite complex, it delights with its upfront approachability and yumminess, yet complemented with some serious depth.
Hope you’ve enjoyed the read. If you have, please leave a comment and help me spread the word about good Pinots and #PinotNoirDay.
Cheers 🙂
Please let me know your thoughts