The knee-jerk description many wine connoisseurs and grape growers is that it is a “finicky” varietal, more delicate than Cabernet Sauvignon or Syrah, and that it needs nurturing even in those regions like Burgundy and Champagne where it’s been a principal grape for centuries. There, the adjectives “complex,” refined” and “elegant” are much bandied about. The Oxford Companion to Wine contends, “If Cabernet produces wines to appeal to the head, Pinots charms on the side of the more sensual and more transparent.” Whatever.
Pinot Noir needs a cool climate, is sensitive to climate variation and prone to mildew; it requires calcareous soil; yields are low. And though French winemakers will swear that they need do nothing with Pinot Noir but let Nature takes its course, the grape is in fact carefully monitored and every estate proudly asserts that its Pinot Noir is distinctive from the others’.
Given this heritage, growing Pinot Noir in hot climates like California, Australia and New Zealand was long suspect as being unable to produce anything but a brash imitator of the Grand Crus of Burgundy.
This may well be true—I can’t think of any New World Pinots that achieve the excellence of Grand Crus. But those wines are astoundingly expensive and not many bottles are produced. Although lesser Burgundy estates make some superb Pinots, many are pale, lack weight and tannin and can be pleasant but not exceptional red wines.
New World Pinots, on the other hand, rarely show the finesse of their French cousins but instead offer deeper, bolder, more tannic structure, even if a high alcohol level of 14.5% keep them out of balance. What every honest wine drinker should come to realize is that they are different wines made from the same grape, just as the same Rolls Royce Merlin engines produced different results when placed into War Two fighters like the British Spitfire and the American Mustang.
Harvesting, pressing, macerating and aging are all processes that differ from winery to winery, and in New World wineries they learned first to cope, then to mimic, then to adapt, then to utilize the differences in soil and climate to produce their own styles of Pinot.
Here is a group of very well made Pinots, none that you would mistake for another.
Alma Rosa Winery. Richard Sanford has released three Pinots from the ideal vintage 2021 at different prices: 2021 Alma Rosa La Encantada Pinot Noir ( $82). Made from 24-year-old vines at the La Encantada Vineyard near the Pacific Ocean, aged for 11 months in 40% new French oak, it is bottled unfined and unfiltered, which gives it a robust body with acidity to match. . . . El Jabali Pinot ($90). Originally planted in 1983, these older vines have a good track record and maturity, also aged for 11 months in 45% new French oak before being bottled unfined and unfiltered. The levels of spice and pleasing tannins make this an outstanding Pinot. . .Rancho La Viña ($82). The soil composition of the vineyards southwest of the Sta Rita Hills corridor allows Winemaker Samra Morris, to create a bolder, though not massive, edge to the wine and darker color.
Dobbes Family Estate Dobbes Grand Assemblage Pinot Noir 2021 ($35). More than once I’ve claimed that Oregon’s Willamette Valley, overall, makes the best New World Pinots, and Dobbes is a leader with its flagship wine by Derek Einberger, using carefully culled fruit from almost every vineyard to provide nuance and balance, Says Einberger, “This bottle serves as a snapshot of vintage and a great introduction to Dobbes wines.” It has a slight mint note and lovely bouquet. Drink it with roast lamb and grilled pork ribs.
VOON Sta Rita Hills Pinot Noir 2021 ($68). Located in the cooler terroir of the Sta Rita Hills, Voon was founded during the pandemic by Evan Anderson as a small-production winery. Winemaker Jessica believes in low intervention in making Pinot with intensified flavors in the grape. So, you get a fruit-driven wine with a silky texture, ready to drink now. There is also a 2022 available at $58. (By the way, the abbreviation “Sta Hills” is used due to a protest by a Chilean winemaker who in that country’s Santa Rita region.)
Yering Station 2020 ($40). This Australian estate dates back to vineyards planted in Victoria the Scottish-born Ryrie brothers in 1838, when the land was called “Yering” by the First Nations People. Since 1996 it has been owned by Darren Rathbone, also winemaker. In the blending process all wine parcels are “randomized and served blind to determine their final home.” Typical of Australian Pinots, Yering’s are very full-bodied, tannic and have a long finish with plenty of dark fruit flavors. Other, older vintages are available as well.
Archery Summit Dundee Hills 2022 ($50). As evident in this article, many New World Pinots are released quite young, and aging prospects haven’t a great deal of history behind them. This Willamette Valley example with grapes from Eola-Amity Hills and Marsh Vineyard is of medium-bodied body, 14% alcohol, and quite pleasant to drink right now for its fresh fruit flavors and lighter tannins, making it a good wine to go with Pacific Northwest salmon on the grill.
Small Vines Wines Shining S 2021 (These wines are on allocation from the winery). A West Sonoma Coast entry is from the Shining S vineyard planted in 2014 in sandy loam soil, using three clones including French Pommard. It stays on the skins for 23 days to acquire concentration and color, then 15 months in barrel on the lees, bottled in February 2023. The fact that it’s 13.1% alcohol shows just how deliciously nuanced Pinot can be when careful aging is applied in an attempt to emulate Burgundies like Pommard.
Imagery 2020 ($20). That $20 price is SRP, and you can find this splendid, medium-bodied Pinot for a lot less at store are on line. It is unusual in that 5% Petit Verdot is added for color and body. There’s a light touch of French oak among the spice notes. Easy drinking for a wide array of appetizers and main courses.