Vine Path Blog 4/20: Pinot Noir Outside Burgundy

Vine Path Blog 4/20

Pinot Noir outside burgundy

This month we’re focusing down on what is considered by many to be the world’s greatest red wine, Pinot Noir. Among aficionados and casual wine drinkers alike, Pinot Noir stands as not only one of the most globally popular varietals but also among the most expensive and highly regarded wines of quality. Though France’s Burgundy is the most venerated of the world’s Pinot producing regions, we’re taking a look at where it’s migrated to and how the world’s emerging regions are handling one of the most finicky and difficult to cultivate grapes. This month we’re excited to introduce you to the world of Pinot Noir outside of France, let’s take a look.

Bill Holloran in an Eloa-Amity Hill Pinot vineyard

Stafford Hill 2018 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir

Perhaps the most famous region for Pinot Noir outside of France is Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Perfectly situated in the same latitude as Burgundy, and serving up a similar overall complexity of microclimates, Pinot and Oregon have become synonymous in the wine world. Compared to California, the wines are leaner, more herbaceous, and more savory, with rougher, more rustic tannins. Holloran Vineyard Wines is situated smack dab in the middle of Willamette Valley, with most of their grapes coming from Dundee and Eola-Amity Hills. Bill Holloran established his project in 1999 as one of the first ‘garagiste’ winemakers in Oregon. Bill, like many vinerons in Oregon, is heavily committed to responsible farming, which is why every vineyard used as a source of grapes is farmed sustainably, organically, or biodynamically. For the Stafford Hill bottling, grapes are sourced from Dundee and Eola-Amity Hills, and is vinified in a mixture of neutral and new French oak (10%). For us, this wine is an exemplar of what Willamette Pinot is all about, the rust tannins, the full texture and mouthfeel, and the distinctive rhubarb and beetroot aromatics, this is a definitive Oregon Pinot Noir. 

Bianka and Daniel Schmitt showing off some mags

Weingut Schmitt 2018 Spatburgunder

If you drive five hours north east of Burgundy’s Cote d’Or you’ll find yourself in the Rheinhessen, an up and coming region south of Frankfurt. As Germany’s largest wine producing region, the Rheinhessen was mostly known for the bulk production of cheap and unremarkable wines. That all started to change with the world’s recognition of the exceptional Rieslings of Weingut Keller and now it’s also emerging as a fascinating new place for Pinot Noir. Weingut Schmitt was established in 2012 by Bianka and Daniel Schmitt in an effort to make biodynamically farmed natural wines of substance and place. For the Spatburgunder (the German name for Pinot Noir), the wine is made with no added yeast, no fining or filtration, and no added sulfites for preservation. It’s as pure a wine as can be and it’s become a hit here at the store in the past months. Germany’s cooler climate makes for lean Pinot Noir with a lot of herbal and woodsy components and this wine is no exception. The Schmitt’s age this wine exclusively in neutral barrels as to not impart any oak character and is fermented whole cluster, giving the wine an extra boost of freshness and vibrancy.

Our friend Ginny Povall

Botanica 2017 Western Cape Pinot Noir

We love to gush about the talent and grace of our friend Ginny Povall, winemaker at Botanica and Big Flower in Stellenbosch, South Africa. Raised in the Boston area, she miraculously found herself tending a marvelous flower and grape farm in South Africa. Ginny brings a set of fresh eyes to the production of traditionally difficult wines, chief among them is Pinot Noir. South Africa is at a lower latitude than France, meaning that it’s really warm down there and Pinot Noir hates too much heat. Luckily for us, South Africa has some unique and tiny microclimates that make for some truly fascinating expressions of Pinot Noir. Sourced from Elgin in the Western Cape, Ginny’s Pinot Noir is always elegant and fresh with a big, sappy, resinous quality typical of South African Pinot. South African Pinot shows a lot of potential to us because of its uniqueness. Expect to see more exemplars in the future.

Hidden Bench winemaker Marlize Beyers in the estate’s vineyard

Hidden Bench 2017 Beamsville Bench VQA Pinot Noir

While many of the wines so far come from places you may have not expected, this one most likely takes the cake for most left of field bottling. Welcome to Ontario! Believe it or not, there are some really exciting little projects coming out of the Niagara area that aren’t Ice Wine. Hidden Bench, along with their neighbor Pearl Morissette, are leading the charge, making premium, high quality wine from organic vineyards with minimal intervention. The terroir of Beamsville Bench is not unlike the Loire, cold and continental, with long winters and short summers. Hidden Bench’s estate Pinot Noir is a dead ringer for great Sancerre rouge, the Loire’s premiere Pinot Noir. Herbal and intense on the nose with rough tannins and a full, glyceral texture, this wine is probably my personal favorite of the bunch.

A panoramic of an Ontario vineyard under the stars