Pinot noir | |
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Grape (Vitis) | |
Pinot noir grapes at Chehalem Ridgecrest Vineyard, Newberg, Oregon
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Colour of berry skin | Black |
Also called | Blauburgunder, Spätburgunder, Rulandské modré |
Notable regions | Burgundy, Champagne, Santa Cruz Mountains AVA, California (Russian River Valley), Marlborough, Central Otago, Oregon, Casablanca Valley, Ahr, Romania, Tasmania, Mornington Peninsula, Yarra Valley, Elgin South Africa |
Notable wines | Gevrey-Chambertin, Nuits-Saint-Georges |
Ideal soil | Chalky clay |
Wine characteristics | |
General | Light tannins |
Cool climate | Cabbage, wet leaves |
Medium climate | Strawberry, raspberry, cherry, mushroom, meaty |
Pinot noir (French: [pino nwaʁ]) is a red wine grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from Pinot noir grapes. The name is derived from the French words for pine and black; the pine alluding to the grape variety having tightly clustered, pine cone-shaped bunches of fruit.
Pinot noir grapes are grown around the world, mostly in the cooler regions, but the grape is chiefly associated with the Burgundy region of France. Other regions that have gained a reputation for Pinot noir include the Willamette Valley of Oregon, the Carneros, Central Coast and Russian River AVAs (American Viticultural Area) of California, the Elgin and Walker Bay wine regions of South Africa, South Australia, Tasmania and Yarra Valley in Australia and the Central Otago, Martinborough and Marlborough wine regions of New Zealand. Pinot noir is also a primary variety used in sparkling wine production in Champagne and other wine regions.