Pinot Noir is a rather bizarre grape and it certainly is among the most difficult grapes to cultivate and to vinify. It does not only require proper climate conditions in order to give its best in the vineyard, Pinot Noir also requires a high level of skill both from the agronomist and the wine maker. Pinot Noir is a difficult test for everyone trying to use this grape in order to make wine, a condition which is also true in its homeland and still considered the best area: Bourgogne. The difficulty in producing wines with Pinot Noir probably is one of the reasons about the division between the lovers of the beverage of Bacchus. For many Pinot Noir is capable of making wines of great class and elegance, probably like no other else, for others it is a grape capable of making emotionless wines. Maybe the ones who support it do that because they had the opportunity to taste great Pinot Noir wines, whereas the ones who cannot appreciate it, probably have always tasted mediocre Pinot Noirs, to tell the truth, the majority of wines produced with this grape.

 Pinot Noir is among the most ancient grapes of which exists historical evidences and its homeland is highly probable to be Bourgogne. It is believed Pinot Noir is being cultivated in Bourgogne for more than 2,000 years, it seems it was already present in the region before Roman invasions. Since those times Pinot Noir had a good notoriety and some famous authors, such as Pliny the Elder and Columella, mentioned the grape in their works. Pinot Noir is a variety defined as genetically unstable, that is it can easily change into other varieties. It is believed there are more than 1,000 different clonal varieties belonging to the family of Pinot, of which the most renowned ones are Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Pinot Meunier, now considered as specific varieties. Pinot Noir's easiness of mutation represents a critical factor for its cultivation which is moreover added to the necessity of a cool climate in order to allow a slow ripeness. The cultivation of Pinot Noir and the subsequent production of wine always represents a challenge and it is not by chance high quality wines produced with this grape are pretty few, whereas are pretty common wines of mediocre, or even low, quality.

	A bunch of Pinot Noir

 Bourgogne is to be considered as the best territory for Pinot Noir and in particular Côte d'Or, from which are certainly coming the best wines of the world produced with this grape. Pinot Noir is also common in Champagne - north from Bourgogne - where this grape is used for the production of the renowned sparkling wines. Pinot Noir is used in Champagne to give a fuller body to wine as well as increasing its aromatic complexity, last but not the least, it is also used alone without adding any other grape. Pinot Noir is the most used red berried grape for the production of sparkling wines, of which the most part is produced with the classic method and vinified as a white, that is by separating the skins from the must soon after pressing. Pinot Noir is also responsible for the enchanting color in rose sparkling wines, obtained by adding some red wine produced with this grape, as well as with rose wines produced with the bleeding technique (saignée in French).

 The name Pinot derives from the typical shape of the bunch of this grape, compact and small, resembling a pine cone. The berry of Pinot Noir has a thin skin, a modest coloring capacity, a pretty low content in tannins and a pretty high content in acids. Wines produced with this grape, because of the low contents of extracts in its thin skin, are relatively delicate and, again because of the composition of its berries, Pinot Noir does not allow a broad possibilities in creating many styles as opposed to other red berried grapes. Acidity is the critical factor in Pinot Noir and it must be preserved as much as possible in order not to compromise wine balance. The best way to keep Pinot Noir's acidity is to cultivate this grape in cool climate areas in order to allow a slow ripeness and an elegant and optimal development of aromas. For this reason Pinot Noir is not recommended in warm climate areas because it tends to ripen quickly while losing its precious acidity and developing pretty ordinary aromas.

 Pinot Noir's berries have a thin skin, a deep blue color and develop in small bunches. This grape is pretty susceptible to molds and it is a variety which ripens in advance as opposed to other red berried varieties and in Bourgogne harvesting takes place in the same period in which is being harvested Chardonnay. The yield of Pinot Noir is usually low and it is susceptible to many vine diseases, a condition that makes this grape more difficult to cultivate. Pinot Noir prefers limestone soils whereas clay soils, cool and wet, should be avoided. Because of the low content in tannins and in coloring pigments, wines produced with this grape are usually transparent with pretty pale hues, something which is truly different, for example, from the typical colors of wines produced with Cabernet Sauvignon or Sangiovese. In particularly bad years, some producers add some stems to the must in order to compensate the reduced quantity of tannins in the skins of Pinot Noir.

 The wine making styles for Pinot Noir can basically be summarized in two categories: red wines and sparkling wines. In the production of red wines, Pinot Noir is most of the cases vinified alone instead of being blended with other grapes. Despite red wines produced with Pinot Noir are frequently fermented or aged in cask, the contribution of wood is often very balanced thanks to the choice of casks made of not excessively toasted wood. As opposed to other grapes, such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, in Pinot Noir wines will hardly be perceived strong and dominant aromas of vanilla and toasted wood, this is because cask, when excessively used, tends to cover the fresh and elegant aromas of this grape. It should also be observed that the aging of Pinot Noir in cask contributes to the enrichment of the wine by adding the tannins passed from wood and therefore it can play a fundamental role in balance. In sparkling wines Pinot Noir is generally used for the production of classic method wines to which adds body and aromatic complexity. The longevity of red wines produced with Pinot Noir is pretty variable and it is strongly affected by quality. The average duration is usually from 2 and 8 years, sometimes 10 years as well, however it should be remembered that only the best Pinot Noirs, produced with high quality standards and criteria, can develop for 8-10 years.

 Because of the thin skin of its berries, Pinot Noir does not have remarkable coloring capacities, a characteristic which is well evident in the color and in the transparency of its red wines. The color in red wines produced with Pinot Noir can range from pretty pale hues to moderate intense ones, according to the quality of grapes and by maceration times. During youth the color will have ruby red hues that will evolve with aging into garnet red and therefore evident orange red hues. The transparency in Pinot Noir is always well evident: light will easily pass wine; something which is very different from the impenetrable transparencies of other varieties such as in many Cabernet Sauvignons. The presence of Pinot Noir in sparkling wines is frequently signaled by a deeper intensity of color. Whether in most of the cases sparkling wines have greenish yellow or pale straw yellow colors, when Pinot Noir is present, the hues gets deeper up to evident golden yellow colors. It should however be remembered that a deeper intensity of color in classic method sparkling wines can also be caused by long periods of aging on the lees and in the bottle. Finally, the pink color of many classic method sparkling wines - including Rose Champagne and Franciacorta Rosé - is because of the presence of wines produced with Pinot Noir vinified as red, added to a cuvée made of white wines, as well as a rose wine produced with the bleeding method.

 Pinot Noir probably is the most renowned representative of fresh and clean aromas of fruit, capable of giving extremely elegant wines of indisputable class, a characteristic, to tell the truth, found only in high quality wines. Pinot Noir aromas are delicate and subtle - however well pronounced - and for this reason it is required an excellent skill for the wine maker in order not to cover or lose the elegant aromas of this grape. The use of casks made of very toasted wood certainly is the mistake every wine maker scrupulously avoids just because this would easily cover the aromas of Pinot Noir, except when it is wished to give the wine pronounced wood aromas. However most of the wines produced with Pinot Noir are fermented and aged in cask and the intelligent use of wood - the level of toasting and the aging period - is one of the factors which contributes to the elegance and class of these wines. Typical aromas of the fermentation and aging in cask will never be strong in Pinot Noir. It should however be observed that many producers prefer vinifying Pinot Noir in inert containers - such as stainless steel - however obtaining extremely refined and elegant results.

 Wines produced with Pinot Noir grape cultivated in areas with pretty cool climate, or harvested when they do not have reached optimal ripeness, are characterized by aromas that can also reminds herbaceous substances or vegetables, such as mint, tomato leaf and dill, however it will be clearly and evidently perceivable the fruity nature of the grape, in particular aromas of red berried fruits, such as cherry, raspberry, strawberry and blueberry. Wines produced in the areas having a warm climate, or grapes harvested at optimal ripeness, fruit aromas will be very evident and pronounced. There will be perceived the typical and characteristic aromas of Pinot Noir's fruits, such as cherry, raspberry and strawberry, as well as floral aromas such as rose and violet. The evolution of Pinot Noir in bottle develops very complex aromas in which the sensations of fruits will be transformed into jams and therefore, to the apex of aging, in aromas of undergrowth, leather, mushroom and game. The presence of Pinot Noir in white classic method sparkling wines is usually signaled by aromas of red berried fruit which will be added to the typical aromas of these wines. In rose classic method sparkling wines the typical fruit aromas of Pinot Noir will be very evident and predominant.

 The taste of wines produced with Pinot Noir is characterized by an evident acidity and, in case it was not properly controlled, it can also compromise balance. After all Pinot Noir is a grape notoriously difficult to cultivate and vinify, therefore requires particular attention and good capacities in cellar. Pinot Noir's acidity is strongly influenced both by the level of ripeness and the area in which it was cultivated, however, because of the low content in tannins, it will be the right acidity to contribute to the proper balance of the wine. No matter the aging in bottle generally makes Pinot Noir more round and velvety, acidity will be a characteristic that will accompany the entire evolution of these wines. One of the factors useful for balancing the evident acidity of grape is represented by alcohol that in wines produced with Pinot Noir is often pretty high. Roundness of the wine will also be determined by the aging in cask which will also contribute to increase its body.

 Pinot Noir is a grape which is not easy to cultivate and to vinify in case the goal is the production of high quality wines. Considered as an international grape since many years, Pinot Noir is virtually spread in every wine making country of the world, appreciated by many as a superb example of elegance, indifferent to others because of its scarce color which makes it appear as a modest wine. It should however be observed that high quality wines produced with Pinot Noir are pretty few, whereas it is very easy to find wines produced with this grape that in the best cases could be defined as mediocre. The indisputable homeland of Pinot Noir is Bourgogne - and in particular Côte d'Or - where this grape is capable of giving its best in countless interpretations, also thanks to the climate conditions of the area, the mutability of the grape and the wine making tradition strongly based on the differences of the territory. In Côte de Nuits Pinot Noir wines usually are full bodied and complex, with intriguing mineral and spicy hints. In the neighboring Côte de Beaune it is the fruit character of the grape to prevail in the style of these wines, rounder and with a faster aging. In other areas of Burgundy, good examples of Pinot Noir can be found in the village of Pommard; other interesting examples, with different qualities, are the wines produced in the Côte Chalonnaise, Mercurey and Givry. In France Pinot Noir is also present in Champagne, where it is being used for the production of the renowned sparkling wines, in the Loire Valley and in Alsace.

 In other areas of Europe Pinot Noir produces good examples in Switzerland - in particular at Valais and Neuchâtel, where it is known as Blauburgunder - whereas in Austria are being produced good Pinot Noirs in the area of Burgenland. In Germany this grape is pretty common, known as Blauburgunder, mainly in the areas of Palatinate (Pfalz), Franconia and Ahr, moreover Pinot Noir is pretty successful in Romania as well. In Italy the best examples of wines produced with Pinot Noir come from the North-East area and in particular from Alto-Adige, however good examples can also be found in Tuscany, Umbria and in the Oltrepò Pavese where it is also vinified as white. In the so called New World Pinot Noir is having a good attention and the best examples are from, as far as United States of America is concerned, from Oregon - certainly the best American area for Pinot Noir - and from the coolest areas of California, such as Russian River, Carneros (mainly used for the production of classic method sparkling wines), Santa Barbara (in particular the areas of Santa Maria and Santa Ynez) and Monterey. No matter the climate of Argentina is too hot for Pinot Noir, good examples are produced in the Río Negro area, whereas in South Africa this grape has produced few but good examples, in particular in the cool Walker Bay. In Australia most of the Pinot Noir is produced in Victoria, in particular at Yarra Valley. The cool climate of New Zealand allows the production of excellent Pinot Noir wines, in particular in the areas of Marlborough, Martinborough and Central Otago.