Stock image ‘God made Cabernet Sauvignon whereas the devil made Pinot Noir.” That’s what one of California’s most influential winemakers groaned as he battled with cultivating this most challenging of grapes. And who can blame him for feeling exasperated? Pinot Noir is a tricky beast.
It demands very precise growing conditions, it’s often prone to disease, and it mutates crazily. Yet winemakers keep on growing this heartbreak grape, pandering to its whims and fretting over its unpredictability. Because it makes some of the best wine on the planet.
The spiritual home of Pinot Noir is Burgundy. More than a third of the total global production of Pinot Noir is based in this 138-mile strip of central France just north of Lyon. It’s home to some of the greatest names in wine, and some of the most eye-watering prices you’ll ever see on a bottle.
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