10 Essential Facts on Pinot Noir

“Pinot Noir, you're a star. Listen to Tom Beren-gar. Pinot Noir. Roseanne Barr,” and so sings Titus Andromedon in one the most memorable moments from the Netflix series “The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.” Exactly what this has to do with iconic grape variety, I cannot tell you. Yet, one thing is for certain: few grapes captivate the imagination of wine lovers quite like Pinot. It’s the ultimate wine geek’s wine – its intellectual ability to transport a drinker to the precise terroir from which it is born is uncanny. From Burgundy to the Sonoma Coast , Pinot Noir is indeed “a star.” Fall in love with the world’s 10th most planted grape variety through these ten essential facts. 1. According to the Grape and Wine Research and Development Corporation, Pinot Noir is the 10th most planted wine grape, and the 6th among reds. Particularly prosperous in cooler climates, Pinot Noir can be found growing everywhere from Oltrepò Pavese in Italy’s Lombardy and Germany’s Ahr Valley to Australia’s island of Tasmania and New Zealand’s Central Otago . 2. Pinot Noir is one of the most ancient grape varieties, so much so that its parentage and exact origins remain unknown. Some refer to Pinot as a “founder” variety, one of a handful of grapes so prolific, almost every other variety can trace its ancestry back to this group. Pinot’s descendants include such beloved grapes as Chardonnay , Gamay , Syrah , Chenin Blanc , and Grüner Veltliner . Even Cabernet Sauvignon is believed to be a great-grandchild of Pinot. 3. The etymology of the name “Pinot Noir” conjures debate. Most argue the name derives from “black pine,” as Pinot Noir’s tight clusters to some eyes resemble pinecones. Others have suggested that “Pinot” may stem from the French town “Pignols,” where vine cuttings of Pinot might have been harvested to plant royal vineyards in Medieval times. 4. Pinot Noir? Pinot Meunier ? Pinot Blanc ? Pinot Gris ? Geneticists have discovered that all of these Pinots are actually the same grape variety, simply clonal mutations of one another. This can be observed in the vineyard, when a single Pinot vine can sometimes yield a select few berries whose colors don’t match the rest. 5. The preeminent twentieth century California winemaker André Tchelistcheff once quipped, “God made Cabernet Sauvignon, whereas the Devil made Pinot Noir.” While Pinot Noir enchants with elegantly delicate and complex wines, in the vineyard it is notoriously a total pain – earning the epithet “the heartbreak grape.” Pinot’s small clusters and thin skins make the grape susceptible to a number of vineyard ailments from sunburn to rot. It also doesn’t help that Pinot Noir best grows in marginal climates, where hail and frost can further bring the grape’s growing cycle to a disastrous halt. 6. Pinot Noir finds its spiritual home in Burgundy, the fabled region in Eastern France whose limestone vineyards rank among the wine world’s most hallowed ground. Pinot Noir achieves its apex in the Côte d’Or , where breathtaking wines can command astronomical prices. In fact, according to Cult Wines, the UK wine investment firm, the most expensive bottle of wine on earth is a red Burgundy, Domaine de la Romanée Conti’s Romanée-Conti Grand Cru. Its 1990 vintage reportedly sells for an average £15,702 per bottle. 7. Pinot Noir holds a special place in the hearts of wine lovers for its transcendent ability to communicate a sense of place in its wines. Nowhere is this talent more embraced than Burgundy, where over the course of centuries vignerons have partitioned the region into 1,247 terroirs each with a distinct character as displayed through Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. These “climats” were recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2015. 8. Pinot Noir has a second great home in France: Champagne . Along with Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier, Pinot Noir provides one of the three critical ingredients to the world’s most famous sparkling wine, particularly thriving on the Montagne de Reims. While a key contributor to rosé Champagne , when its grapes are pressed without any further time to macerate on their skins, Pinot Noir can be vinified into a white Champagne. White Champagnes made entirely from red grapes are labeled “Blanc de Noirs.” 9. Pinot Noir can be found in a nearly continuous sweep up California’s coast, from Santa Barbara’s Sta. Rita Hills to Sonoma’s Russian River Valley to Mendocino’s Anderson Valley . The Golden State has proven particularly Pinot crazed in the last two decades, with many pointing to the 2004 film “Sideways” as a catalyst for the grape’s growth. In the years since Paul Giamatti’s character championed the variety, California’s annual tonnage of Pinot crushed has jumped almost fourfold. 10. The United States’ other famous Pinot Noirs grow just north in Oregon. Pinot Noir has driven the Beaver State’s wine boom, ever since David Lett of Eyrie Vineyards first brought the grape to the Willamette Valley in 1965. The French have caught onto Oregon’s potential, with several Burgundy producers investing in Willamette projects, beginning with Maison Joseph Drouhin’s US outlet Domaine Drouhin in 1987. — Bryce Wiatrak Have you ever been captivated by a glass of Pinot Noir? We can’t wait to see you’ve been drinking! Scan the label or search by name to add your tasting notes on Delectable.