From Willamette Valley, Oregon to the Pflaz, Germany, there are so many great Pinot Noirs out there that it can be hard to navigate the options. So today, let’s narrow it down a little and look at a few regions that garner much of the Pinot spotlight, and how and why they’re different from each other.
If you’d like to learn about Pinot Noir’s claim to fame, there are 3 major world regions that get most the attention. California, France, and New Zealand.
Are they better Pinots than regions not discussed below? Though they’re amazing, not necessarily. But they do hog the international wine shelf space. And they are delicious! By learning what to expect from these guys, you’ll already know which country’s (or state’s) Pinots you prefer when you’re flying solo at a wine shop. Or, you can use these regions as a reference point when talking to a winemonger to tell them what styles you do or don’t like so they can explore even more Pinots.
Things to know about California, French & New Zealand Pinots:
-
California Pinots. A key to understanding California Pinot is knowing that unlike France’s, they’re meant to be enjoyed as throughly with and without food. This means you don’t need rich (or any) food to enjoy them—their acidity is low to medium. Cali Pinots tend to be soft, charm quickly, and although many can be, don’t need to be aged. Because the state’s weather gets warmer the further south you go, the fruit gets riper, too. This means the the further south you go, the bigger and fruitier the wines. Santa Cruz Mountain and Sonoma Coast are cooler areas (two of my faves), so their wines will be higher acidity, with lighter fruit- strawberry, rhubarb, and floral notes. San Louis Obispo and Pinot from warmer areas will taste more like cherry, cherry pie, be a little richer and broodier, and have higher alcohol.
-
New Zealand is a great place for Pinot because its cool nights baby the grapes, and its long, warm days have plenty of time to ripen them. Sound familiar? Yup, similiar to parts of California but with longer days. New Zealand wines also have full fruit, but tend to be a little less rich than California, have brighter spice, and a citrusy, zippy acidity. Oak can be lower than many California wines. They’re not necessarily created to age, but they could be (if you’re able not to drink them which is hard). Winemaking is new in New Zealand, expiremental, and much of the farming is organic or biodynamic. Though Marlborough wines were made famous by their tropical Sauvignon Blancs, I’m a big fan of Central Otago’s Pinots. Also good to know? NZ Pinots as a whole are much more moderately priced than California’s or France’s.
-
Time for the old school, classic region. The most heralded French Pinots are from Burgundy. And if you don’t mind paying a little more and love them, they’re worth it. I mean… they’ve been doing it long enough…
