Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir grapes are grown around the world, mostly in the cooler regions, but the grape is chiefly associated with the Burgundy region of France. Other premium cooler regions include Carneros, Central Otago and north eastern Italy. Pinot Noir is thin skinned, giving it lighter colour and lower tannins, and fairly high acid.

It is widely considered to produce some of the finest wines in the world, but is a difficult variety to cultivate, a situation which causes some to refer to it as the “heartbreak grape”. When young, wines tend to have red fruit aromas of cherries, raspberries and strawberries. As the wines age, they have the potential to develop vegetal and “barnyard” aromas that can contribute to the complexity of the wine.