Better to have loved and lost, the saying goes. Whoever wrote it probably wasn't thinking about Pinot Noir, but the line fits. Growers plant this grape knowing what they are signing up for: thin skins, fickle vines, small yields, a narrow picking window. They keep doing it anyway, because when Pinot Noir goes right, you get one of the most graceful reds in the world. Light in colour, soft on the palate, full of red cherries and raspberry with something earthier sitting underneath.
Our Pinot Noir collection covers three places where this grape feels at home. Burgundy, where it was born. The Rheingau in Germany, where a few estates make it alongside Riesling. And the Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley in South Africa, where it has found a second home.
Why Pinot Noir Asks for So Much
Pinot Noir has been cultivated for two thousand years, and it has never settled down. Over a thousand registered clones exist, which is part of why the grape produces such a wide range of styles, even from neighbouring vineyards.
Growers know what they are signing up for. Thin skins leave the berries open to sunburn and rot. Tight clusters trap moisture. Pinot Noir only feels at home in cool climates, but those same climates bring frost and low yields. And the picking window can be a matter of days. Miss it, and you can taste it.
All of which is to say, Pinot Noir costs what it costs for a reason. Small yields and intensive farming, with little room for shortcuts. The price is the price of patience.
Burgundy: Where Pinot Noir Wrote the Rulebook
Burgundy is where Pinot Noir has been studied for centuries. Cistercian monks tending the vines from the twelfth century onwards were the first to notice that wines from one slope tasted different from wines on the slope next door. Burgundy's whole system of classification grew out of that observation, and producers there have spent lifetimes learning to listen to what the grape and the soil have to say.
Our Burgundy selection draws from three producers, each working a different part of the region:
- Domaine Bouchard Pére et Fils: founded in 1731, based in Beaune, with holdings across the Côte de Beaune. One of the oldest houses in Burgundy, working in a classical style. The wines lead with red fruit and fine tannin, with a savoury edge that builds in the cellar.
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Domaine de Montille: based in Volnay, working vineyards across the Côte de Beaune and the Côte de Nuits. Look for the Nuits-Saint-Georges Aux Thorey Premier Cru and the Corton Clos du Roi Grand Cru.
- Sylvain Pataille: based in Marsannay, at the northern tip of the Côte de Nuits. Marsannay sits without Premier or Grand Cru classifications, which has kept prices reasonable. The Marsannay village bottling is a good entry point to Burgundy without the price tag.
The Rheingau: Pinot Noir in a Riesling Country
Germany is far better known for Riesling, but a few estates in the Rheingau have built a reputation for Pinot Noir. The grape is called Spätburgunder here, and the cool, slate-influenced sites give it a lighter, more lifted character.
- Peter Jakob Kühn: an eleventh-generation Rheingau estate, biodynamic since 2005. The Spätburgunder Trocken comes from French vine material planted in 2006, and shows ripe red fruit, a touch of spice, and the slightly flinty edge that German Pinot does well.
The Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley: Cool Climate, Granite Soils
South Africa is mostly too hot for the heartbreak grape. The Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley is the tucked-away cold pocket that gave Pinot Noir a home in this country. The valley sits behind the coastal town of Hermanus, an hour and a half's drive from Cape Town. Cold air rolls in off the Atlantic, the granite soils drain well, and the slopes face the right way for slow, even ripening. Conditions in the valley are close to ideal for Pinot Noir, which is part of why South African producers chasing this grape end up here.
When South African Pinot Noir comes up in conversation, the Hemel-en-Aarde is usually the answer. Two of the names that built that reputation sit in our collection.
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Newton Johnson Vineyards: founded in 1995 by Dave and Felicity Newton Johnson, now run by their sons Bevan and Gordon. The Family Vineyards Pinot Noir is the everyday bottling, usually a drinker's first taste of the estate. Bright red fruit, soft spice, fine tannin, and the freshness the cool valley gives almost as a signature. Above that sit the single-vineyard wines, each one drawn from a different patch of granite soil and showing how much variation a small valley can produce.
- Restless River: Craig and Anne Wessels' family estate in the Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley. Their Pinot Noir, Le Luc, comes from a single block on granite soils, with restrained oak and partial whole-bunch fermentation. The style is pure and fine-boned, with the cool Atlantic influence sitting underneath the fruit.
This is Pinot Noir at full expression, made from a stretch of granite the country has only one of.
How to Drink It
Pinot Noir is a dry red wine, despite how forward the fruit can be. The red cherry and raspberry notes come from the grape itself. There is no residual sugar in the bottle. What you taste as softness is low tannin and bright acidity, which is also why Pinot Noir is so easy to fall for, beginner or not. There is no harsh finish to push past, no heavy weight to get used to.
Few wines work as well across a meal. Pinot Noir sits comfortably with most things you might cook for it.
- Duck: the classic match. The fat in the meat softens the wine, the acidity in the wine cuts back through the fat.
- Roast chicken and salmon: both light enough to sit beside Pinot Noir without overpowering it.
- Mushroom risotto: the earthiness in the dish meets the savoury edge in the wine.
- Charcuterie and soft cheeses: easy companions, hard to get wrong.
- Avoid heavily spiced food, since the heat tends to flatten the perfume.
Serve it cool rather than cold, around 14 to 16 degrees, which usually means twenty minutes in the fridge before opening. A wide-bowled glass helps the aromatics open up.
A Final Glass
Pinot Noir is a difficult grape with a generous heart. Burgundy has been figuring it out for the better part of a millennium. The Rheingau works alongside its Rieslings. The Hemel-en-Aarde has been doing the same since the 1990s, on its own patch of granite. All three sit in our collection, each making the case for a grape that returns the favour when it is treated with care, and breaks hearts only because there is so much heart in it to begin with.
You can find the full Pinot Noir collection here, with Burgundy, the Rheingau, and the Hemel-en-Aarde side by side.