Pinot Noir Bargain

Hello Out There!

Now that we have the festivities of Thanksgiving behind us, the football games, family and friends, the food, the laughter and of course the wine... lets talk about a little Pinot Noir I think is worth drinking. Castle Rock Pinot Noir for around $8.99 a bottle. This little jewel has a nice fruit forward character with spice and raspberry flavors on the finish. Buy this wine and drink the heck out of it!

As we all are aware of the price of Pinot Noir ever since the movie Sideways (If you have not seen this movie you should watch it, there is a scene in the movie that probably was responsible for Pinot prices soaring and Merlot sales in the toilet) it is difficult to find one for less than $20. And when you do, you can't drink it!

I want to talk a little bit about this difficult little grape and why it can be a wine maker's best friend or their worst nightmare!
Pinot Noir is one of the oldest grape varieties known and was named by the noble Pinot family. Pinot's been cultivated in France since the 1st century AD. One legend has it arriving in Burgundy from the Aedui from their invasions of Lombardy and Italy. Another legend has it arriving from the Romans while still other tales refer to the Romans finding Pinot already established in the region. With the Barbarian invaders driving the Romans from the region, the Catholic church inadvertently became custodian of the fine Pinots. The monks (They seem to invent a lot of alcohol related beverages) used Pinot Noir in their sacraments and hence gained approval for the wine. They improved the varietal through careful vineyard practices and by the 6th century, most of Burgundy was divided into church owned vineyards. The first documented history of Pinot Noir in Burgundy doesn't occur till 1345. French monks brought the grape to the Rheingau region where it's been cultivated since 1470 and the vineyards were owned by the Church. Later the vineyards were seized and distributed to families in Burgundy during the French revolution around 1789 resulting in an independently owned and operated vineyard model that still survives today.

Pinot Noir seems to pick up every known vine disease, mould, fungus and/or pest thats out there! It's an early ripening variety so spring frosts are devastating. It needs to be picked at just the right time, when picked too late the thin skinned berries will shrivel up and lose all flavour. Extracting all the colour is another challenge. When fully ripe, the Pinot Noir berry is a very light purple colour and requires careful handling to make the most of the light colour.
Pinot Noir goes through a range of changes as it matures. A young wine will show simple fruity characteristics including: cherry, plum, raspberry and strawberry. The complex flavours emerge as it ages revealing chocolate, earthiness, smoke and truffles. Many a winemaker has said that to make a good Pinot Noir one has to have patience and persistence and work with a lack of sleep!

I hope I haven't been to wordy and you found this little bit of wine trivia fun! Now go out there and drink Pinots and sound smart on the subject!

Cheers!
J