Pinot, beautiful Pinot

There’s something that perplexes me about Pinot. This grape is truly puzzling, creating a product that is recognizable, yet mysterious, subtle, but huge. I know it has been cliché since Sideways to rave about Pinot Noir, but Pinot crafts a wonderful feeling in my stomach and heart when I drink it. I feel like I have really reached a high level with my palate, as this seems like a wine that a beginning wine drinker would shy away from. Its subtleness, hints of fruit, a touch of earth and spice, a delicate floral nose, and light tannins and color generate a complexity that forces the drinker to decipher what is in the glass. At the same time, the lack of dark fruit and baking spices, as well as the color make it simple to pick out in a blind tasting.

Pinot has always been the international third choice behind the big two Bordeauxs, a hidden treasure that Burgundy has nourished, but has found new life in cool climates outside of France. Burgundy’s Pinots Noir, to me, rely a bit too much on the earth. Scents of mushroom, wood, and brettanomyces, make this the epitome of the old world style of wine. This passed me by, as I just couldn’t understand this wine, until I discovered the beautiful Pinots of California. They have found their place from Santa Barbara all the way to Sonoma. The cool climate areas need to be fed by fog, a bit of cool ocean breeze, and well drained soil that creates that struggle that the grape needs to grow. Pinot relies on a long growing season of consistent temperatures. It needs cool, but not cold, mornings, and warm, but not hot, afternoons. It’s a feisty fermenter, not always willing to release its color and tannins, and a true magician is sometimes needed to get it right.

I guess I am being a bit hard on French Pinot. There is one French Pinot region that defies all of the boring, difficult, and complex stereotypes of Pinot Noir. That would be bubbly! There is nothing better than an exciting, fruity, beautiful pink Blanc de Noirs bottle of Champagne. In this form, it resembles the anti-Pinot. The long cool growing season, allows the grapes to slowly ripen here, producing complexity even without prolonged fermentation on the skins. I was at Mumm this weekend in Napa and their Blanc de Noirs brought my group to a high point as we toured the valley this weekend.

California is not the only spot thriving in the US right now. Oregon and Washington have gained strength and are showing their potential to be the future of Pinot. As California heats up, these cool regions have available land and determined winemakers that are gaining international reputation.

Right now I am enjoying a glass of 06 Chalone Pinot ($26), a wine that from the start is what I want. The nose is vibrant, with a round floral nose that is almost soapy, with a bit of pine and oak. Its velvety smooth taste is perfectly balanced with good acidity and low tannins with notes of leather and smoked meat with dried cherries and cranberries. My wife and I both jumped for joy at first taste of this wine, as we were a bit worried that it wouldn’t be as wonderful as the 2005, which had become a staple during family dinners.