How does the thin-skinned, unassuming, finicky pinot noir grape create the most expensive wines in the world? Is it the acidity? (No; they’re not any more acidic than other wines) The alcohol level? (No; they can have high alcohol levels under the right growing conditions) The light body? (No; they can be as big and oily as any cab franc)
So what’s the secret behind pinot noir’s versatility & success? Find out this week with Julien Miquel…
Transcript:
00:00:00:00 – 00:00:31:00
Hello and welcome to your new Bonner Private Wines video, where we learn about wine weekly. I’m your host, Julien Miquel, French Bordeaux-trained wine maker. I’ve been making wine and/or commenting about wine for over 25 years. Part of the wine industry, working my craft in more than seven different countries all around the world so far. Today I want to discuss what sets Pinot Noir apart in the world of wine.
00:00:31:01 – 00:01:07:03
Do you really know what it is? Because I can tell you right now, as much as you think you know, perhaps that it’s not its aromas or it’s not its acidity, it’s not the alcohol level, it’s not the age worthiness or even the price. What is it then? Well, let’s talk about it.
00:01:07:05 – 00:01:42:01
When you think about Pinot Noir, you probably think to yourself, sure, I know what it’s all about and how it’s different from most other reds, like Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot or Syrah, Malbec, Nebbiolo, etc. it’s just a nice light and fruity red wine. Well, my question to you today is is it though? When you think about every component or characteristics of a wine and you can watch this video right here to learn more about a wine’s composition in detail.
00:01:42:01 – 00:02:09:11
Pinot is not all that different from any other wine except for one main characteristic. So let’s have a look in detail at it. Acidity. You may think Pinot is more acidic than most wines. Well, actually, it’s not really. Sure, a pinot grown in a pretty cold area is going to be more acidic than a merlot in a hot climate.
00:02:09:11 – 00:02:36:13
Pinot noir grown in a cooler climate like in Patagonia in South America, or a cool vintage in Bordeaux, is going to be more acidic than a pinot grown in a warmer area like California. Pinot is often grown in cooler areas, yes, that’s true, resulting in a little more acidity. But it’s not a defining intrinsic characteristic of Pinot noir.
00:02:36:15 – 00:03:12:00
Same goes with alcohol level. Under cooler conditions, you get less alcohol. Sure. But many Pinot noirs reach 14 or 15% alcohol in places like, again, California or certain parts of Australia, for example. Let’s have a look at complexity and aromas. Is Pinot noir less complex than any other wines? Well, it certainly isn’t. If you consider most of the most expensive red wines on Earth are Pinot Noir, especially from top Burgundy vineyards, just to name a few there and elsewhere.
00:03:12:00 – 00:03:47:05
Pinot reaches incredible levels of complexity and aromatic concentration. Pinot is not less aromatic either. It’s not lighter in flavors than other wines, as a carefully grown pinot will be just as potent aromatically—that’s important—as a good Cabernet for example. That said, yes it is true that some aromas of pinot are relatively unique, though, and can definitely give you a little sign that you tasting a Pinot Noir and nothing else at a blind tasting.
00:03:47:05 – 00:04:25:11
For example, sometimes you can say, well, this is definitely a pinot to me. Those aromas are a really bright sour cherry aroma, like a kirsch liqueur and an earthy undertone like you describe as forest floor or mushroom. You will find those aromas in other wines, but not as clear cut and dominant as in a pinot. Now aging potential and or age worthiness is not different in Pinot than any other wine might be considered a lighter wine, but well-made pinots are beautiful for decades.
00:04:25:11 – 00:04:52:06
They age really well, at least just as long as any other wines. Sure, a cheap pinot won’t age that well, but so won’t a cheap Cabernet. It’s more the quality of the base wine, how balanced, how complex, how concentrated aromatically it is initially that will make the aging potential, not really the type of grape, whether it’s a Pinot or Cabernet or something else.
00:04:52:08 – 00:05:20:17
So what is it then? Well, you’ve probably guessed it by now. What truly sets Pinot Noir apart in the world of wine is its gentler or lower concentration in tannins, those polyphenols that make a wine look darker and make it make it taste fuller and more astringent in your mouth, more biting on your palate. Pinot noir is not necessarily lighter in body.
00:05:20:17 – 00:05:45:08
A good pinot can be as oily and round as any other wine, but it will have a lot less tannins. This is why, for example, winemakers will often use whole bunch fermentation with pinot and they don’t do that with many other grapes using not only the grape berries, which is what you usually do for fermentation, you destem the bunches before fermenting them.
00:05:45:10 – 00:06:21:01
Well, if you want some more bite biting elements in a Pinot Noir, you leave some stems to ferment in the tanks and that adds the extra tannins, the bite. You need to do that because naturally the skins of Pinot grapes have very little tannins in them. It’s also interesting to think that for a long time we thought that the bigger a wine, the more tannins it had, the more polyphenols and antioxidants it had, the better it was and the more aging potential it would have.
00:06:21:03 – 00:06:48:11
That was part of why bigger wines got highest scores for a long time during the Robert Parker rating era. More about this here. Well, now we absolutely know everyone has realized we we’ve known that for a long time, but it didn’t really translate into scores and ratings and appreciations. We know that lighter reds, some more, like Pinot noir, can also aged beautifully for decades.
00:06:48:11 – 00:07:25:24
Think grand crus from Burgundy. Those can age for ten, 20, 30 years or more. And that’s why they are so much sought after. So tannins is what sets Pinot Noir apart as the main, main distinctive characteristic from any other grapes. No other wine has so little tannins while still being concentrated aromatic early age, where the balanced complex and everything else that you expect from a world class wine.
00:07:26:01 – 00:08:02:11
And to fuel your reflection on this very point, I’ll leave you with three important things that this does for Pinot Noir. First, number one, Pinot Noir has less prominent tannins, leaves more room to appreciate its subtle aromas. Because it is lighter, you can notice the subtle nuances like the floral aromas, the lighter fruity flavors, and also notice more the earthy undertones that are generally lost in bigger wines. In Pinot, because it’s so subtle, you can smell them better.
00:08:02:13 – 00:08:31:03
Number two, because you can notice those subtler notes, Pinot noir is more sensitive to terroir and the local climatic or soil variations. This is why Pinot is so fascinating to explore all around the world, because each vineyard can make a very distinct wine from the next plot. Finally, number three, food pairings. Well, Pinot Noir’s low tannin profile makes it exceptionally versatile for food pairings.
00:08:31:03 – 00:09:02:09
It complements a wide range of dishes, from the delicate salmon of fish roasted poultry to earthy, mushroom based or meaty preparation. And it goes with everything. And this adaptability definitely contrasts with high tannins wines, which often require rich, hearty foods to balance their powerful structure. But what do you think? Do you agree with my assessment here? I’d love to know and which is your favorite Pinot noir wine?
00:09:02:09 – 00:09:25:17
French from Burgundy. I wouldn’t be that surprised, but maybe from elsewhere. Do you have a good, reliable source of Pinot noir from New Zealand or a certain part of California? Let me know in the comments and I will see you soon in the wonderful world of wine. Cheers!
