Red Wines

• Pinot Noir

To grape growers and winemakers, Pinot Noir presents both the ultimate challenge and the ultimate reward. At their best, Pinot Noir grapes produce wines that are rich and complex, tasting of black cherries, red berries, earth and spice, with an aroma that's been likened to everything from herbs and cola to bacon and roses. Pinots can be high alcohol, light in color and low in tannin, though oak aging can increase the tannin levels. One of the most exciting developments in the world of wine is the recent advances Oregon and California winemakers have made in producing first rate Pinot Noirs, respectable rivals to the legendary reds of French Burgundy. Most other Pinot Noirs produced around the world are pale imitations of Burgundy, usually lacking depth, elegance, richness and texture. You may wonder why anybody would bother with such a troublesome, fussy, hard-to-grow, enigmatic grape, but at their best there is no wine in the world that can offer more seductive, velvety, complex flavors than a fine Pinot Noir.

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