By Elspeth Brown
I am in love with Pinot Noir. It is thin-skinned, temperamental and in need of constant care and attention. That sounds more like my least favorite family member than the love of my life. But Pinot Noir is so soft and luscious. It easily pairs with so many different foods, and it is the perfect wine for winter and summer. The flavors that so many Pinot Noirs impart are almost sensual. There are notes of fading roses, lavender, violets, red cherry, spring strawberries and fresh earth. When I taste Pinot Noir, the tip of my tongue gets slight sweetness, the middle feels some acidity and the back of my palate gets the velvety tannins. How could you not be in love?
Pinot Noir, as so many other grape varietals, is thought to have originated in France. It is a very old grape, dating back to the Roman era and is almost 1,000 years older than Cabernet Sauvignon. The first mention of Pinot by name is during the last quarter of the 14th century in documents associated with the dukes of Burgundy. The Burgundy region, located in central eastern France, is the most famous growing region for Pinot Noir. While France still produces the most Pinot Noir in the world, the US and Germany are close behind.
Pinot Noir is grown throughout the US, but the most sought-after ones are being grown in Sonoma Country and Santa Lucia Highlands. Germany is a surprising third in production of Pinot Noir, traditionally called Spätburgunder there. It is one of the most underrated wines in the marketplace because consumers focus so much on German Riesling without taking the time to try Germany’s red wines.
One of my favorite wine producers is Maison Joseph Drouhin in Burgundy, France. It was the first biodynamic winery in the world. Drouhin is still family-run and led by the four great-grandchildren. The winery in Burgundy was founded in 1880, and in the 1980s the family purchased property in the Willamette Valley in Oregon. When the Drouhin family opened the winery in Willamette, the land was chosen to mimic the climate and the latitude of their famous vineyards in Burgundy.
Pinot Noir from the wineries in both France and Oregon has a fresh elegance, soft spice and warm earthiness that only those two areas can showcase. The flavors and layers that these Pinot Noirs embody in such a light red are magnificent. Maison Joseph Drouhin is a family winery steeped in history with an eye towards the future of Pinot Noir.
I fell in love with the complexity and beauty of the Pinot Noir grape a long time ago and my feelings haven’t faltered. Joel Fleishman, in Vanity Fair, wrote: “At their best, Pinot Noirs are the most romantic of wines, with so voluptuous a perfume, so sweet an edge and so powerful a punch that, like falling in love, they make the blood run hot and the soul wax embarrassingly poetic.” I could not have said it better.
Enjoy!
Elspeth Brown is the owner of Maggie B’s Wine & Specialty Store, 10 C South Main Street in Weaverville. For information, visit MaggieBsWine.com or call 828.645.1111.
